Would You Come For Me
by AFangirlofSorts
Summary: Agents Melinda May and Phil Coulson are put on a new assignment to look after an object of unknown origin, an 0-8-4. The only catch is this 0-8-4 is a person. A fourteen year old girl who's spent her life in the foster system is now in more danger than ever. A man beast is hunting her and SHIELD has to make sure that it doesn't get close to her. AU, MCU characters will be used.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Another SHIELD I've had sitting on my computer just waiting to be published. In honor of the new year and my recent word milestone, I'm posting this story and several other stories over the next couple days. Hope you Agents enjoy.**

 **Summary: Agents Melinda May and Phil Coulson are put on a new assignment to look after an object of unknown origin, an 0-8-4. The only catch is this 0-8-4 is a person. A fourteen year old girl who's spent her life in the foster system is now in more danger than ever. A man beast is hunting her and SHIELD has to make sure that it doesn't get close to her. AU**

* * *

 **Chapter One**

 **Monday August 29, 2011 23:37**

The world in front of her was as dark as the back of her eyelids, only empty blackness seemed to be there. How long had she been in here? Had it been hours? Days? Harold had come back twice, each time with a small cup of water. Couldn't have her die of dehydration, now could he? that would raise too many questions. She wished someone would help her, desperately she wished someone would. Only there were no heroes in this world, no one would come for her. No one would save her. She brought her dirt covered hands to her bare shoulders and begin to rub her arms absent-mindedly as shivers raced through her spine. She released a shaky breath.

"Hey, are you awake in there," a timid voice whispered through the darkness.

When she didn't answer, a pocket-sized flashlight came to life,allowing her glimpses of the room- no cell-she was trapped in. The light shined in her face, and she blinked rapidly, not appreciating the bright glow in her eyes.

"Sorry," said the owner of the flashlight, "Did I wake you?"

He pointed the flashlight down so not to bother her, but still enough to see a little bit/ways in front of her. She didn't answer him. He was another foster kid here, about a year or two older than she was, with blonde hair that looked like sand. Miles. Yesterday-she assumed she had been in here since yesterday-had been the mark of his sixth week here.

She scooted closer to the little locked door where Miles was kneeling to look through the rectangular hole with bars. It could only be opened from the outside, like the door itself. She had tried to push it open, to let some light, but it had been no use. Her only source of light had been from the laser pointer in her pocket. She rested her fingers on the bottom of the mail slot and looked into the teen's eyes.

"Miles," she whispered, "What day is it and what are you doing here? You do know he won't hesitate to hit you, or throw you in here right."

Miles shrugged in reply, "Monday, almost midnight. Here, I brought you some bread."

She did the math, twenty four hours had passed since he brought her here. He had locked her in here late Sunday night when she came home after the curfew he set. Harold wasn't particularly violent, but he did have fits of anger. He didn't hit the girls as often as he did the boys. However, it wasn't a rare occurrence for him to hit them. Most of the time, he would simply lock the kids in the basement. It was his version of a time out. Miles folded the piece of bread so he could fit it through the bars.

"You're going to get us in trouble," she whispered, taking the offered bread in her shaking hand.

It was freezing and she barely had any clothes on her back. Not to mention her head was killing her, most likely from the lack of food. In this moment she was grateful Miles had come down here. He was the only one she would accept this kind of treatment from. After he helped her out of a sticky situation, she felt as if she owed him and said as much to him. However all he asked for was her friendship.

A bit reluctantly, she agreed and was grateful that she had. If anyone else would have offered her this, she would have told them to keep it or not responded to them at all. Miles was someone she made an exception for. Only this time though, she couldn't afford to care about anyone because she knew she would lose them anyway. Besides, it's not like she really trusted him. She could never trust anyone, never again. In the dim light of the flashlight, he smiled at her.

"You needed to eat. Oh! That reminds me. I got you a water bottle."

He slipped the water bottle through the opening between the bars, she took it without hesitating and began to drink greedily. When she had finished the bread and downed nearly half of the water bottle, she released a sigh.

"Thank you," she said gently.

"It was the least I could," Miles told her, "He should let you out before the sunrise. Stay strong okay?"

She didn't reply. Only looked at the floor, she didn't look up until the light had clicked off and she heard his retreating footsteps. She pressed her hand on the wall to help guide her over to the corner on the opposite end of this cell. This used to be a small wine cellar, used during the Prohibition Era of the 1920's to smuggle alcohol. The only reason she knew this was because he had shouted it at her the first time she was brought in here. Hot tears slipped down her cold cheeks when she made it back to the corner.

It was torture being left down here, without anyway to get out or tell how much time had passed. At least it wasn't as painful as the beatings he usually he gave out the way Oprah gave away prizes. Wrapping her arms around her sore stomach, she leaned back against the cold stone and shut her eyes. Maybe she could forget her troubles for a little while if she slept, a big chance on the if.

* * *

 **Wednesday August 31, 2011 08:16 HOURS**

"You wanted to see me sir," Agent Hill said closing his office door behind her.

Director Fury stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking out the glass wall down at the city below, his one eye studying the world below him.

The Director answered the agent, "Yes."

Fury turned around to face the young woman, he was always an intimidating man, especially with the eyepatch and his extensive track record. Hill had been borderline terrified the first time she met him, but nowadays he didn't scare, unless he hadn't had his coffee in the early hours. Standing with her back straight and eyes ahead, Hill watched the Director come to stand behind his desk in front of her.

"I have a small assignment I need you to do some work on," Fury explained, his eye trained on her.

Hill nodded, "What do you need?"

Fury reached down, pressed his thumb on the drawer knob. A click filled the quiet office, followed by the sound of a hiss.

"I've never really believed in coincidences," Fury said lifting up a black folder with 0-8-4 printed on the front in large silver ink, "Explain to me how someone with sensitive information is killed not forty-eight hours before something we're hiding nearly gets taken?"

"The person spilled," Hill stated simply.

Fury nodded, "Yes. The person gave up information then an unknown decides to show up at a random location, that we are monitoring, only to injure four people and cause damage."

Hill wasn't certain where her boss was going with this, but she would wait until he was done before asking. He always worked in a roundabout way, this would be no different. Fury smirked at her.

He stretched out the folder to Hill, "We had an 0-8-4 in that house. The woman who was keeping this 0-8-4 was killed two nights ago. Yesterday, early morning, the new location where the girl was held is compromised. It seems obvious to me that this suspect nearly had her."

Hill raised an eyebrow, "Her? You mean the 0-8-4 is a person? A girl?"

"Last I checked, yes," replied Fury, "Roughly thirteen years ago, a group of SHIELD agents went to the Hunan province to investigate a potential 0-8-4."

"It says here they went MIA," Hill commented, her eyes still skimming the document.

Fury nodded, not that she could see with her focus on the document. She had never heard of this report before or anything involving a possible 0-8-4, let alone an 0-8-4 that was a human child. The idea still seemed a bit strange to her. Yet she had to remind herself that the world she lived in was a strange one. Hill paused at the backup team's report. When the backup team arrived, the entire village save for one old woman and an infant girl had been killed.

The agents questioned the woman, she said a man beast had come raging through the streets looking for the little girl and everyone in that village died to protect her. Tests had been done on the girl but the she was for intents and purposes human. As far as Hill could tell, she was a healthy few month old child. The girl had been under SHIELD custody the following weeks, but soon the agents who had been in the province were getting crossed off. Their heads bashed in or cut off. Strangled to death, burned alive or cut open across their bodies. The images of the dead agents was enough to get her fair skin to pale. Noticing the reaction, Fury knew she had made it the agents. She looked at Fury.

"This case is too dangerous for me to give to just any team," Fury told her, "Keep reading."

Hill turned the page in the file where she spotted Agent Avery. Though she had never personally met the woman, Hill did recognize her. Agent Avery, one of the original agents involved, set up a nearly invisible protocol to hide the child in the foster system before she was killed like the others. Hill looked over the structure of the protocol. Despite it's simple build up, it was definitely hard to find. Yet according the most recent report, someone had figured it out and was closing in on the 0-8-4.

In the last seven months five people who knew the girl had been killed in the same brutal ways as the villagers and agents. Because of this, Hill noted that there was a new picture of the girl every week. Hill lifted the most recent one. If Hill hadn't known her age, she would have thought the girl was younger than fourteen. Her skin was a shade lighter than olive. She had waved mocha brown hair that cut off at her shoulders. In the picture she looked like the average Asian-American teen. Hill looked to Fury again.

"I trust few people Maria," stated Fury, "I need you to take on this case."

Hill blinked twice before coming with an appropriate response, "And do what exactly sir?"

Fury answered, "Whatever you feel is necessary to keep her hidden."

Hill thought about it for a moment before replying, "Well there are number of things we could do. We could move her out of the state. Use her to draw out this… man beast the report called it? Or send her to a remote location with round the clock agents."

"You tell me," Fury said as he walked around his desk to sit in his chair.

Hill thought over her previous suggestions. Sending her away to a SHIELD location will only push off the inevitable, so will moving her out of state. Using her as bait would be too much of a risk. Until they learn more about this hunter, they can't take the chance of him catching her.

"Okay," Hill said with a nod, "Well she is a foster kid. What if we send two agents undercover as foster parents to watch her while we speed up the search for this man beast?"

"Explain," Fury prompted a little intrigued by the agent's suggestion.

"If we have her stay with two agents, they would always be close by in case the threat grew larger and they would be able to monitor her and see if she shows any abilities," Hill explained, "The file doesn't list anything about them, but it could change if two agents were constantly watching her and not just doing check ups."

Fury hummed over the idea. If the girl was enhanced, then he would have no choice but to leave her with agents or put her on the Index list for her protection and for those around her. However he knew he would have to focus on that another day, for the time being the priority was finding out who was after her and why. What did they know that SHIELD didn't?

"Okay, I'll bite," Fury replied, "What agents did you have in mind unless you're volunteering?"

Hill rolled her crystal eyes, "Definitely not. Too much work to be done here. The agents would need to be trained for combat and experience with enhanced people."

Fury had a few agents in mind who would be up to the task. However he knew he would need them for other pressing matters, not to mention whatever agent would be tasked with this assignment needed to be decent with kids and able to manage a teenager. There was a rather large difference between commanding young agents and being in charge of a young girl.

"What about Agent May," Hill proposed, even if it was a long shot.

Fury raised the eyebrow over his good eye, "Are you smoking something?"

"No," Hill replied with slightly narrowed eyes, "Hear me out Fury. Agent May is one of the most capable agents we have and would not be called out to field work."

"She hasn't so much as looked at combat work for three years," Fury pointed out to her.

Hill went on, "Yes, but this is not a combat operation. The only reason she would even need to use combat was if the man beast did find the girl. Her skills would be better utilized protecting an 0-8-4 than filing papers."

"How were her last psych evals," Fury questioned.

Hill licked her lips, "Don't know. I'd have to look at them."

"I don't like it Hill, I don't think she can handle it yet," Fury responded taking a seat in his leather chair.

Hill sighed, lowering her arms to her sides she said, "What if Coulson was with her?"

Fury raised both eyebrows at that, "Not only do you want to put a retired on an assignment, but you also want to take one of my best agents out of the field?"

"Yes," Hill acknowledged, "May would stay close to the girl along with Coulson because he can keep May grounded and he's good with these kinds of situations. If Coulson was needed in the field, then we could call him out while May remained with the girl."

Fury brought his hand to his chin. For a moment, Hill was worried he would say no to both of the people she had suggested, even though in her mind they seemed like the best choices. The two of them had history together which allowed them to work incredibly well together. Not to long ago, they had been the best pair in all of SHIELD history, practically in sync with each other in battle. Ever since Bahrain, Hill knew her former mentor had lost a large piece of herself and only Coulson had been able to help her. Now May shut everyone out, but perhaps this would give her a chance to open up again, to get out in the world again. Not to mention Hill knew Coulson would take this assignment in a heartbeat. Helping people in need was his calling, right now this girl needed someone like him in her life.

"Okay," Fury said leaning back.

Hill didn't bother to hide the surprise she felt, "Okay? That's it?"

Fury ordered with a decisive nod, "This is your case Hill. You think they're the best choice, then they are. If May refuses, I think I could convince her."

"And if Coulson refuses," Hill said fighting a smile.

Fury scoffed, "Like he would turn this down. Go to May. Once that's done, start working on the documents. In the meantime I'm going to send Agent 13 to see how the girl is doing."

"Out of curiosity and paperwork, where is the girl now," Hill questioned.

"New York, Children's Hospital," Fury said without blinking his eye.

Hill blinked twice, "Why was she in the hospital?"

Fury answered her as he put the black folder away, "Whoever was coming for her nearly burned down her house. The fire spread and she was trapped inside a cellar in the basement. The interesting thing about it were reports on the ground shaking."

"Why is that interesting," Hill asked, one eyebrow raised.

Fury shrugged, "It just is. After you've spoken with May and Coulson, send them to me."

Hill nodded, "Yes sir."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews, follows and favorites! Hope you enjoy the second installment!

 **Summary: Agents Melinda May and Phil Coulson are put on a new assignment to look after an object of unknown origin, an 0-8-4. The only catch is this 0-8-4 is a person. A fourteen year old girl who's spent her life in the foster system is now in more danger than ever. A man beast is hunting her and SHIELD has to make sure that it doesn't get close to her. AU, MCU characters will be used.**

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

 **Wednesday August 31, 2011 09:49 HOURS**

Agent Hill didn't usually visit May while she worked, the woman was always very engrossed in her filing and did not like to be disturbed. Even when May hadn't shut down, Hill knew the older woman was always quiet and preferred to be by herself at times, but no one was bothered by that. Every once in awhile people needed a break from those around them. There was nothing wrong with that.

As Hill walked down the stairs and through the halls searching for May's cubicle, she continued to think over what she was going to say and how to best convince the older agent to say yes. For the last three years May had changed, she wasn't as willing to be with others and she had lost the happiness that used to fill her heart.

Everyone who was close to May knew her as this quiet, playful and badass agent who was always there when others needed help. Nowadays those close to her didn't know who she was anymore while everyone else knew her as the Cavalry. Hill knew May hated the name and whenever people called her the "title" she ordered them not to or face a consequence from her.

Hill rounded the corner of cubicles to find Agent May in the back looking over some files. The Asian woman, despite her smaller size, had an air about herself that showed confidence and strength. Yet as Hill looked at her former mentor, she only saw a shadow of who that woman was.

The conversation with Coulson had been easy, he was actually excited about this assignment. Hill knew convincing May would be more difficult. Hill glanced over her shoulder, she saw Coulson watching her with a concerned expression. If she needed backup in convincing May to say yes, she would send him in. Taking a breath, she kept walking.

"Agent May," Hill started as she stood on May's right.

"No," said May, her eyes focused on the papers.

Hill replied, "You don't even know what I was going to say."

May lifted her gaze to look at the younger agent and asked flatly, "Does it involve me leaving this desk?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then my answer is no."

Hill released a sigh, "May, hear me out on this. Please."

May was more than prepared to say no, but the pleading look on her former mentee's face stopped her. Deciding listening to what the young woman had to say couldn't hurt, she set her papers down.

"Fine," May said, "You got five minutes."

Hill's blue eyes sparkled in excitement, a look May had not seen since the young woman was still in the Academy. Whatever Hill wanted from her, it must be important to her or it was something not work related.

"Fury has an assignment for you, or well I have for you," Hill started, then paused studying May.

"I'm not going back in the field," May replied shortly.

"It's not a combat op," Hill told her.

"Then you don't need me," May said and started stapling some documents.

Hill walked around the desk and stood in front her, "May, I need you on this assignment. At least let me tell you what it's about."

"Fury warned me you were going to come," she told the young woman, "Didn't say why or about what."

"Then let me tell you," Hill pleaded, "You might change your mind."

May didn't respond, her focus was on the documents in her hands.

Hill took this as her cue to explain the assignment, "You will be undercover as a foster parent along with Coulson."

May's head snapped up at that, her face was still blank, but Hill could see the surprise in her brown eyes. Though May rarely showed her emotions anymore, people who had known her before the accident knew how to read her like a billboard. This was definitely not an assignment May had expected to hear from either Hill or Fury or anyone if she was being honest.

"A foster parent," May repeated the words, "With Coulson? What kind of an assignment is this?"

Hill explained in the briefest way she could think of, "This assignment is guarding an 0-8-4-"

"And this kid is the only lead you have for it?"

"No."

"The kid has it hidden away? Information? Leverage?"

"None of the above. May, the kid is the 0-8-4."

"What?"

May set her papers down, taking in those words. In all the times she had heard of an 0-8-4, they had always been an object of some kind, never a person. The last 0-8-4 she had heard of had been a Hammer, found in New Mexico a few months ago. That hadn't seemed too strange, but a child. A child was the 0-8-4.

"Is the kid enhanced, how old are they," May asked looking at Hill.

"The rest is classified," Hill said with a sigh, "Unless you agree and I think you should. We need someone with your skills."

May leaned back in her chair for a moment, warning bells ringing in her mind. The last time she had dealt with an enhanced child, things had not gone well. Take my hand. Could she really put herself in a situation with another potentially powered person who had no control over it? And if the child did have powers, would she be able to make the hard call again?

"I don't think-" May started, but trailed off shaking her head.

No, she couldn't do it. This assignment was too close, way too close to something she could never forget. It was better for everyone that she stay here in her cubicle, in her desk surrounded by paperwork that needed to be filed away. Images of twisted and confused brown eyes staring back her made shivers travel through her body. No, she couldn't do it.

"Melinda."

May turned her head to look at the new voice to enter the room. It was none other than her oldest friend and pain in her ass, Phillip Coulson. He looked the same since the last time she saw him which was only a month or two ago. Same shimmering blue eyes, his dark hair was thinning on his head which, years ago, would have made her smirk. Now, she only saw it as an observation.

"Reconsider," Coulson said coming around the desk to stand by Hill, "This will be fun."

May didn't say anything, only stared at Coulson trying to make her point without having to say the words. No one knew the choice she made, no one knew what went down in that building three years ago. Coulson had an idea and put the pieces together, but he never approached her about it. When she was ready, she would tell him. If it wasn't soon, he was okay with that.

"Give us a minute," Coulson said to Hill with a gentle smile.

The young woman nodded and walked away from the two agents without a word. If anyone could get Melinda May to do anything, it would be Coulson.

"Nice setup you have here," he commented with a smug smile, "Ever thought about building a moat?"

"Coulson," May said, her voice dropping low.

Coulson only smiled wider, "May… Do this with me. Hill thinks we're the best for this assignment."

"Watching an 0-8-4 is one thing, but a child 0-8-4," May said, still a little stunned at the idea.

Coulson shrugged his shoulders, "First time for everything I suppose. There won't be any combat."

"You can't guarantee that," May replied, she looked away, "Besides, me and kids don't get along."

"Good thing it's just one," Coulson teased, his smile still giddy.

May started putting together more papers as she replied, "No."

Coulson frowned. He knew this assignment would remind May of what happened, but he was certain this would be good for her. All she ever did anymore was file papers away, stay home and hide from the world. Perhaps this would be a good opportunity for her to come outside for a little while. Coulson leaned forward, his hands pressed on her desk.

May stopped her work again to look up at Coulson, his face not but three inches from her own. Shimmering blue eyes stared into glossy nut brown ones. Brown eyes that used to be filled with such fire, such life and excitement were now a dull flame or a dimming ember. Coulson hated it. He blamed himself for sending her in there all those years ago. It was because of his choice that May had lost herself.

"You can't stay behind this desk forever Mel," he told her gently, "Do this assignment with me."

"Phil," May started, but Coulson wouldn't let her continue.

"Let me offer you a deal. Three weeks."

"Three weeks," May echoed with an eyebrow raised.

Coulson nodded, "If after three weeks you're still uncomfortable, then you can leave and I won't press you to stay."

May stared up at Coulson with a thoughtful look, considering the idea. The idea of having to deal with this assignment, not to mention the potential triggers she could get while caring for this kid. May didn't even want to think about how she would have to deal with this kid everyday. The more she thought about it, the more she thought agreeing to do this was a bad idea, yet she considered his words.

If she did decide to say no, who would be there with Coulson? What if this kid was more of a threat and he was caught off guard? Would he be able to make the tough call? Would she be able to make it? Maybe she could or maybe she couldn't, but she knew that leaving Coulson alone with a possible threat and another agent did not sound good to her. She always had his back, she would have it this time.

"Make it two," said May with a stern look.

"Seventeen days," Coulson bargained, "Give me seventeen days and you got a deal."

May hummed over the offer for a few moments. It was still longer than she wanted to be involved, but she figured it would be better than trying to negotiate with him for shorter time and saying no all together didn't seem like an option anymore.

"Okay."

Coulson's eyes brightened at her answer and May began to wonder if she had just made a terrible mistake.

* * *

 **13:24 Hours**

She leaned back against the large white pillow, trying to get herself to relax and calm her unsteady nerves. Despite what she said and how she acted, yesterday morning had left her utterly terrified and leaving her with the haunting smell of smoke in her lungs. The doctors had explained to her that too much smoke had gotten into her lungs, which explained the pain in her chest, hoarseness of her throat and the coughing. The only thing to help alleviate the discomfort she felt was the nasal cannula resting on her upper lip, pumping oxygen into her lungs.

Even though the little tubes were irritating under her nose, her chest felt lighter and the coughing had ceased since last night. The coughing had been the worst yesterday afternoon because she just could not stop coughing. It was when the blood came up to that the teenaged girl began to panic. The nurse from last night, Julie or Julia had been her name, had helped her calm down a little. Telling her it was nothing to be concerned about because the doctors would fix it.

These doctors would take care of her. She didn't believe them, no one would ever take care of her except for herself. This morning a new nurse came instead of Julie. This nurse was younger than Julie with curly blonde hair that cut off above her shoulders. The new nurse, whose name escaped Mary, entered the room wearing the standard white uniform with a tray of food. Mary frowned trying to think of the woman's name. It started with an S, that much Mary knew.

"Afternoon Mary," said the nurse, Sharon, "I got some more water and finger sandwiches, don't worry they're plain this time."

Mary nodded to the nurse to show she was grateful. Sharon was nice enough, talked with her about what was going on during one of the soap operas and kept her up to date on her condition which the teen appreciated.

Sharon Carter, more commonly known as Agent 13, was one of the top agents in undercover operations and one of the best spies in the business compared to agents like Romanoff. Originally, when Fury asked her to check on a child periodically, she was worried as to why he would send her to do such a small thing. However he told her recently why the check ups were needed.

Most of the time Sharon observed her from a distance. Either a woman in the park or passing her in the neighborhood. This was the first time Sharon actually spoke to the girl. The purpose of her coming today had been to get a look at her medical files to see if anything abnormal came up. Also to monitor the girl in general as well as the environment she was in. So far, everything appeared normal to Sharon. Sharon set the tray down on the little bed table on Mary's right.

"Do you have any chest pain," Sharon asked, "Headaches, nausea, dizziness?"

Mary thought for a moment before responding, "No headache or nausea. My chest still ach-"

Mary leaned forward as coughs shaked her body, making her shoulders tremble and chest burn. Sharon placed a hand on Mary's back, the girl flinched at the touch and her shoulders tensed. The agent made a mental note of the response and slowly retracted her hand away, much to Mary's relief. She was never a fan of people touching her, regardless of the reason.

"Aches," Mary forced the word out, she coughed again, "My throat st-still hurts and this c-c-cough."

The teen took a deep breath, forcing herself not to cough again. Sharon picked up the glass of water on the side and handed it to the teen, who accepted it without an issue. The cool liquid brought instant relief to her hoarse throat.

"Thanks," she mumbled handing the empty glass back to the nurse.

Sharon offered her a smile, "Of course. The cough will most likely be gone by tomorrow. Have you taken any of the antibiotics?"

Mary shook her head no in response.

"Make sure you take some after you eat," Sharon instructed.

Mary ignored the order, "D-Do you know anything about the others? About Miles?"

Sharon frowned at the question. She didn't know much about the situation involving the girl. All the agent knew was exactly what she needed to know. The girl, Mary Sue Poots, is an 0-8-4 who needed to be checked on because of a close call the previous day. That was all Sharon knew. As for the others in the teen's question, she honestly didn't know.

"I don't know," Sharon answered honestly. At seeing Mary's deflated expression, Sharon amended, "But I can go check for you." The teen's brown eyes brightened tremendously. Though she tried to hide it, Sharon could see the smile in her eyes.

"Thanks," Mary said.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey readers, sorry for the delay. I thought I had posted for this story already, but was mistaken and to make up for it I'll be posting the next chapter tomorrow. Thank you all for the support!**

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

 **Wednesday August 31 15:14**

Coulson hadn't been this excited for an assignment since he was a level one agent several years ago. When Hill first came to him about going undercover to watch a teenager, he accepted without pause. Though he never thought of himself as a family man or someone who would have kids yet the idea excited him. Whenever he saw children passing he would briefly wonder what his life would have been like if he hadn't agreed to go to the Academy of Operations. He imagined that he would have worked with the simple 9 to 5 job with a wife and kids to come home to everyday.

The daydream would make him smile, but that wasn't the life he chose or really wanted. Coulson glanced at his partner who was still reading over their files. It had only taken an hour to get all of their paperwork in order. Now all that was left was to go to the SHIELD house, get situated in the house and prepare to take care of a teenager. Coulson could not wait to set up the house and bring the girl there. If he was being honest, he was practically counting down the minutes until he and May could get her.

While Coulson was enthusiastic about this assignment, May was dreading it. She knew all she needed to do was to get through seventeen days, but the more she thought about it, the worse she felt about this entire thing. For a little over two weeks May would have to take care of a troubled foster child who could potentially be a threat to herself and those around her. The very thought of what this girl could do worried May. There was no telling what powers she has, if she does have any.

"What do you think about blue paint," Coulson asked suddenly, pulling May from her thoughts.

She lifted her gaze from the documents to Coulson on her right, "Why?"

"For her room," Coulson replied as if it were obvious, "Do you think we should paint it blue? It says in her file blue is one of her favorite colors next to purple and black. I figured blue would be the best, but we could probably ask her when we meet her."

May asked, "Why are we painting her room?"

"Well I've been to this house before and it's pretty bland in my opinion so I figured we could paint some of the walls to give it our own touch," Coulson explained with a smile.

"We aren't staying long," May pointed out.

Coulson merely shrugged, "Regardless we should give it our own touch. To mark that we were there. What color should our room be? Also don't worry, the master bedroom is huge enough to have a couch in it which is where I will sleep."

"Phil I don't mind taking turns," May replied slightly exasperated.

"Nonsense," Coulson replied still smiling, "You should have the bed. Besides, it's a really nice couch. Though if she were to ever walk in on us she would find it weird that we aren't in the same bed. Oh well, cross that bridge when we get there. Anyway I figure today we go out and buy everything we need to make it seem like we live there which is why we are staying there tonight."

"The only thing we would need are groceries," May stated.

"That is important," Coulson agreed, "But I still think painting it would be fun. However the fumes would get to annoying and we couldn't sleep in the rooms until later. We can ask her if she would want to paint her room. Oh! She'd probably really enjoy the basement. Wait until you see the basement. It's amazing."

May raised an eyebrow in question, "Really?"

"Yes. It has a movie theater, office and workout room, not to mention hidden in the walls are the weapons," Coulson explained to her.

"What happened to it being a bland house," May questioned dryly.

Coulson replied, "It has it's perks."

The tease didn't go unnoticed by Coulson. Sometimes the woman who was his best friend would make an appearance. Whether it be in her smile or in sarcastic remark. Melinda was still in there behind the wall she had built around herself. May returned her attention back to the files on her Coulson. The story was interesting enough with few holes that anyone would notice. Agent Hill walked into the office.

"Do I want to know why Mayson is our last name," May asked Hill without looking up from the document.

A smile spread across Hill's face, "Probably not. Come on, your rides here so you two can get anything you need from your homes and go out to buy whatever you want."

Coulson stood followed by May, "Sounds good. When do we pick up Mary Sue?"

Hill answered, "I spoke with 13. She gets out of the hospital today. You'll pick her up from St Agnes tomorrow afternoon. The paperwork is already done, all you have to do is go there, sign it and bring her to the safehouse."

"Anything else," May questioned. Hill shook her head, "Nothing I can think of at the moment. Agent Morse will be keeping an eye on her while she is at school, so she will make contact with you in a few days."

Coulson nodded, "Alright then. We'll see you later Agent Hill."

Hill returned the nod, "And you Mr and Mrs Mayson."

May rolled her eyes while Coulson bit back a smile. There was a lot of good natured history with that name, but no one would talk about it. It was something everyone knew not to bring up unless they wanted to deal with an angry Melinda May. Without another word May and Coulson left the building to go grab whatever they needed from their homes. After that, Coulson would drag May out to shop for some items.

* * *

 **Wednesday August 31 15:35**

Sharon came back two times. The first time she came back was to tell her about Miles and the others. Miles had been checked out already and that she didn't know where he was sent to. Though Mary was upset about not being able to say goodbye to him, she was happy to know that he was well enough to leave the hospital. Harold would have to stay in the hospital longer while most of the others were already out.

Mary was one of the last ones to leave. She was just happy she could. When Sharon came back the third time that day to tell her she could leave the hospital, the teen wanted to cry in relief. She hated hospitals. Although Mary had only been to the hospital a total of four times she really hated each experience. The doctors were everywhere, she wasn't allowed to do anything but stay in her room or in bed. All the rules and regulations were enough to drive anyone insane.

Mary had changed into the clothes the social worker, Mike, had brought for her. A plan red shirt along with her faded blue jeans and old tennis shoes. It wasn't much, but she prefered anything over the hospital gown she was forced to wear for the past two days. Mary stood by Mike as he signed her out.

"And done," Mike said setting the pen down, "Ready to go?"

Mary nodded mutely.

Mike was a nice enough guy. Even Mary had to admit that she liked him and she hated every other social worker she had come in contact with. In her opinion the social workers she knew were fake and didn't really care what happened to the kids left in their care. That wasn't to say all social workers were like that. Only the ones she had met. Mary walked out of the hospital behind Mike.

He had already given her the run down that she was going back to St Agnes. Mary saw that coming though. It wasn't a surprise. Soon, someday soon, Mary was going to run away from St Agnes and the foster system. Once she could drive, she would leave this all behind. She would start over. The ride to St Agnes was silent. Mike thought about turned on the radio, but he decided against the idea. Soon enough Mike pulled up to the orphanage.

The orphanage was incredibly old looking on the outside, the white paint had turned to a beige color over the years. The front steps had angel statues on either side while there was a cross on the door. In Mary's opinion the front of the orphanage looked like a church while the rest of the building that extended on both sides reminded her of school buildings.

There were a few kids outside playing, but most of them were ten years old. No one she cared to know. Mary climbed out of the car. Mike followed her to the orphanage so that he could check her in. Mary didn't need to greet the nuns in the main office though. They always expected her back. Sometimes they didn't notice she was gone because of her short stays in other places.

"Bye Mike," Mary told Mike as she walked away.

Mike waved to her, "See you around Mary Sue."

The teen rolled her eyes at the name. Though she didn't mind the name Mary, she hated when people said Mary Sue. She hated it even more when people said her "full name" Mary Sue Poots. Mary she could deal with, Sue was pushing it and Poots had been her limit. Mary found herself on the third floor where ages thirteen and up stayed. The right side of the building belonged to the girls while the left side belonged to the boys.

The first floor belonged to the nuns, where the kitchen was and the school rooms for the little kids. The second floor was for infants through age twelve stayed. The third floor was where the teenagers ran freely. Once someone turned eighteen they had until the end of their senior year to leave. Unless they were already out of school, then they had to go. Mary walked into the room she shared with three other girls and sighed.

Four more years and she could leave without a problem. Trying to leave sooner might cause issues, but she was okay with that. The quicker she got out of this place the better off she would be. Her stuff was already on the top bunk with a note from Sister Francis who favored her. The note read in the woman's curly handwriting, _I made sure to get your stuff from the firefighters. Luckily none of it was burned, including the bear_.

Mary smiled at that. While at the hospital, she feared the one item that she had kept all her life would have been lost. To know it survived made her feel better. Without wasting time, she opened the floorboard under the bunk bed and slipped the little teddy bear under. No one would touch it there. Once that was done Mary left the room to head outside and avoid running into anyone. Most of the kids and teens here were not her favorite people. In fact majority of them were at the top of the list of people she hated.

Mary nearly made it to the backdoor when the nasal voice of Jane filled the air, "Well if it isn't Mary Sue. Back again so soon?"

Mary released a heavy sigh. She had two options. Either she could walk away and ignore Jane and her posse or argue with them. Mary wasn't in the best mood right now. Walking away would ensure that she wouldn't get in trouble. Mary walked forward, her hand barely touched the doorknob when a hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled back hard. Mary spun around in the blink of an eye to face Martin. Jane's posse consisted of several people. Either fall in line and do as they say or become their prey. That was what Helen had told her years ago. Mary hadn't listened then and she wasn't going to listen now.

"I believe Jane was talking to you," Martin hissed at her.

Mary folded her arms over her just, "Does it look like I care that your girlfriend was talking to me?"

"You should care," Penny growled at her.

Mary rolled her eyes, "Listen gap kids I've had a long day and I'm not in the mood to deal with your issues."

Jane glared at her, "Obviously you need to be reminded of your place Mary Sue. You're just an unwanted girl."

"So are you," Mary snapped back, "Last I checked you aren't adopted and you're older than me. Looks like you're running out of time Janey."

Jane's nostrils flared at that. Before Mary could blink, the air had been forced out of her lungs and she was hunched over holding her stomach. Martin pushed her against the wall. A moment later, Jane was in front of her with angry blue eyes.

"You aren't worth anything Mary Sue," Jane growled, "Just a broken girl with a crappy name. You constantly go to foster homes, but they always bring you back because you aren't good enough. Hell, you aren't good at all. Not good at sports. Not good at school."

"Shut up," Mary half shouted and coughed.

The words stung far more than Mary thought they should. They were just words yet they rang true in the teenagers mind. More often than not, Mary would stay with a family she did like and who seemed to like her as well except she was always told the same thing. Not a good fit. She was too loud. Too closed off. She wasn't this or that. It was always something that kept her from finding a home. By the time she was ten, she had given up on the idea of finding a real family to care for her in this life.

Mary knew she was far from an easy kid, further from an easy teenager. Not to mention she already had enough problems being bounced around and the one place constant in her life was an orphanage. A girls bound to have issues because of that, especially with the past abusive homes.

Jane smirked, "Just a troublesome, pathetic, unwanted brat who will never find a home. The problem child Mary Sue."

Mary couldn't take it. Without thinking, she swung her arm and punched Jane in the face. Jane stumbled back with a cry and grabbed her nose. Penny and Martin stood at her side with shocked expressions. Mary Sue never fought back. She always took it with a few changing expressions before she moved on. Today she didn't. Blood began to spill from Jane's nose and Mary took some satisfaction in that. In the back of her mind, she thanked Robbie for teaching her how to street fight.

"What's going on here," shouted Sister Gertrude.

Mary knew she was going to get in trouble for this, but she didn't care. Jane brought on a few more tears while Penny explained her version of what happened.

"We just wanted to ask Mary Sue how she was doing considering what happened," Penny lied with a frown, "She got angry. When Jane tried to comfort her, she just punched her in the face."

Sister Gertrude made a sympathetic sound, "Why don't you two bring her to the infirmary. Mary Sue, my office now."

Mary followed Sister Gertrude to her office wordlessly a smile still on her face. Maybe because of that punch they would leave her alone. When Mary entered the office she took a seat in her usual chair in front of the nun's desk. Sister Gertrude pulled out a red slip that. The nuns had slips in different colors to show what they had done. Red meant bullying and treating others badly. Mary had gotten every bad slip of the rainbow.

"You will not be eating dinner tonight or eat breakfast tomorrow. You are to remain in your room for the rest of the day," Sister Gertrude informed her, "However because of the medicine Mr Peterson told me about, you will be allowed a slice of bread to take it. Violence will not be tolerated here. Keep acting up and you will never find a family. Do you have anything to say for yourself Mary Sue?"

"Would you actually listen to what I had to say, doubt it," Mary replied taking the red slip from the nun.

Now she had to walk down the hallway and give the slip to Sister Nancy who was in charge of discipline. Sister Nancy and Sister Francis had a soft spot for her. Sister Francis had been the one to find Mary on their door while Sister Nancy believed that Mary was always in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Don't take that tone with me Mary Sue," Sister Gertrude scolded.

Mary walked to the office door, "That's not my name."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

 **Thursday September 1st 12:37**

"Phil, it's not even one o'clock yet," May said exasperated.

All morning Coulson had been full of anticipation and restlessness. When they had come to the house last night with some of their items and groceries, Coulson had talked nonstop about today. If May hadn't known any better, she would have believed he was a real foster father excited to meet their foster child. The minute he woke up this morning to find May in the kitchen all he could think about was picking up the girl. Right after he told her good morning, the second thing out of his mouth was when can we get her?

Coulson released a sigh, "I know, I know. But we can get her any time we want."

"Hill told us to wait until later," May reminded him.

Coulson frowned, "No she didn't. She said wait until the afternoon…. it's afternoon."

If May could roll her eyes any harder, she would have, "Phil-"

"Melinda please," Coulson begged, "Can we get her now? It will take us forty five minutes to get there then forty five minutes to get back. So technically we won't bring her home until at the latest 3:00."

May thought about it for moment. It wouldn't be a terrible thing to get the girl earlier than planned and Coulson really wanted to go. His blue eyes were pleading with her to say yes, persuading her with the slight sparkle they held. May didn't want that look to disappear. It always gave May comfort to know that Phil Coulson would always be himself. For several seconds May and Coulson sat in silence. Coulson was leaning forward in anticipation, watching May intently. He really wanted to get the girl as soon as possible and was prepared to get on his hands and knees in order to beg more effectively.

Before he had the chance, May caved, "Alright, alright we'll go, but I'm driving."

Coulson jumped out of his seat so quick May had trouble keeping an eye on him as he raced out of the living room. A hint of a smile formed on May's face as she grabbed the keys off the coffee table. Coulson was such a child sometimes. It never ceased to amaze May how one minute he could be a professional agent to a giddy little boy in a matter of seconds. May walked into the garage to find Coulson already in the passenger seat with his seat belt on.

"Really," May said as she climbed into the GMC.

Coulson smiled sheepishly, "I'm excited is all. This will be fun."

May put the keys into the ignition while Coulson clicked the garage door open, "If you say so."

The drive had been spent in three ways. Coulson was talking, the radio was on while Coulson was talking or both of them were quiet. Coulson did try not to talk too much because he knew May liked the silence, but it was hard. Besides talking kept him distracted from how nervous he was about this. Of course he was still excited but he was also very afraid. What if she didn't like him? What if she hated them? Would she want to get to know them? Would she turn them away? Would he be enough for her? Could he make her stay enjoyable? Coulson didn't have an answer, but he hoped for the best.

May would have been lying if she said she wasn't nervous. She was nervous to meet this girl because of the possible danger she could become. However May knew from reading the reports from 13 that nothing out of the ordinary had happened with Mary Sue. This put May's worries at ease. Perhaps SHIELD was wrong about her. The forty five minutes ended too quickly for May.

"There it is," Coulson said as May parked the car across the street, "St Agnes Orphanage."

"It looks like an abandoned church," May stated dryly.

Coulson had to nod in agreement, "Just a little. Maybe they have a thing for the vintage look."

May rolled her eyes, "Come on. Let's go."

Coulson and May exited the car and walked to the orphanage. As they made their way to the building, the few children who had been outside stopped their games to stare. Coulson felt a pang for them. All these kids needed was a home. He wished he could give them one. May felt uncomfortable with so many children around, but she schooled her face not to show it. Hopefully they could get the girl and leave as soon as possible. Side by side, the two stood on the stairs. Coulson pressed the doorbell. Neither of them were surprised to hear church bells. Half a minute passed before a nun, roughly around the age of forty, opened the door.

"Hi," Coulson said with a smile, "My name's Phil Mayson and this is Melinda. We're here to pick up-"

"Mary," the nun said with a smile, "Please, come in."

May and Coulson followed the nun inside. Though the inside looked more refurbished than the outside, it still reminded May of an abandoned church.

The nun spoke as they walked down the hall to her office, "My name is Sister Francis. I have the paperwork all here for you."

The three of them entered the office. There were two desks on either side. On the right was another nun who was buried in paperwork while the other desk on the left was empty. The nun on the right lifted her head.

"I didn't know we were having visitors today, welcome to St Agnes," said the nun, "I'm Sister Gertrude."

Coulson smiled at her, "Thank you. I'm happy that my wife and I were able to come on short notice."

May tried not to flinch at the word wife. It flowed easily off of Coulson's tongue, though he was always better when it came to taking on undercover identities. May refocused on the conversation.

The nun, Sister Gertrude, returned his smile, "I'm glad you could come. It warms my heart when prospective parents come. Might I ask, are you here to meet some children or here to pick up someone?"

"Pick up," replied Coulson.

"Who," inquired Sister Gertrude.

Coulson thought for a moment, "Mary Sue."

Sister Gertrude's smile in fell an instant, "Mary Sue Poots?"

Coulson nodded frowning at the nun's change in demeanor, "Yes."

"Is that a problem," May asked in a flat tone.

Coulson glanced at May with curious look. May quickly looked from him back to Sister Gertrude. The nun did not look particularly pleased about the mention of Mary Sue which intrigued May. Perhaps this nun knew something about the girl that would give May some more insight. A file only told so much.

"I hate to ask, but are you certain Mary Sue is the girl you want," Sister Gertrude said a bit hesitant.

Coulson blinked, "Why would you ask?"

"Mary Sue is troublesome," Sister Gertrude replied.

"Gertrude," Sister Francis said with a frown.

"It's the truth," Sister Gertrude stated, "She causes trouble wherever she goes. Has little respect for authority, has a history with stealing. Honestly that girl has been in so many homes because she refuses to do as she is told."

"Mary Sue hasn't had it easy Gertrude," Sister Francis reminded the other nun.

"That doesn't excuse what she did yesterday," Sister Gertrude pointed out hotly.

Sister Francis replied, "She did that out of self defense."

"So she says. She's always getting into fights," replied Sister Gertrude, "The point of the matter is, Mary Sue is a difficult child. Only experienced foster parents should take her. Maybe one day some foster parents can tame her."

"Tame her," May said lowly.

Coulson watched May very carefully. He knew that voice. That was her, I'm doing my best not to lose my temper voice. Despite May's aversion to kids, Coulson knew that because of her childhood she had a soft spot for "troublesome" kids. She did not like the way this nun was talking about this teenager. Though May still knew about the potential danger this girl could bring, that didn't mean she deserved to be talked about in this way. Not to mention May had seen the teenagers file. Because of SHIELD she had been placed in over twenty-one foster homes since she was brought here.

"She's not an animal," May seethed, "And shouldn't be spoken about in that way by anyone regardless of what she's done. Aren't you nuns supposed to be caring and loving to God? How does that work if you manage to talk about a teenager so cruelly when she only wishes to find a home?"

Sister Gertrude opened her mouth to reply, but the icy glare May was giving her caused the nun to reconsider. After several moments of uneasy silence, Coulson turned back to sister Francis.

"So what paperwork is left for us to fill out?"

Sister Francis replied as she pulled out the papers, "Only your signatures on a few pages is needed. Then you can take Mary with you once you're done."

Coulson and May took their seats in front of the desk and signed the papers. It did not go unnoticed by May that Coulson was watching her with that barely see-able smile. She chose to ignore him and focused on the paperwork in front of her. After a few minutes all the papers were signed and Mary Sue was now their charge.

Sister Francis smiled at them, "I've read your files Mr and Mrs Mayson. I'm glad you'll be looking after Mary Sue. She's truly a wonderful girl."

Coulson offered a smile of his own, "We can't wait to meet her, right Melinda?"

May smiled, the action feeling foreign to her, "Looking forward to it. Will we go to her or do you call her in?"

Sister Francis opened her mouth to reply, but a knock on the door interrupted her. A boy around the age of twelve walked inside. His skin was incredibly pale, almost snow white in Coulson's opinion.

"Hello Donnie," Sister Francis greeted, "What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you had tape," Donnie asked a bit hesitant.

The boy looked away from the nun to look at May and Coulson with wary brown eyes. Unlike the other children they had seen, he wasn't looking at them with wonder or hope, but with caution.

"Of course," Sister Francis said, "Donnie is Mary Sue in her room?"

Donnie shook his head no, "She's outside in her usual spot."

"Would you mind bringing Mr and Mrs Mayson out to see her," Sister Francis asked.

Donnie raised an eyebrow. He looked at May and Coulson again, his gaze narrowed slightly. It wasn't out of jealousy or anger, May noticed. He was trying to see if they were a threat or not, it was protective.

"You're here to foster Mary," Donnie asked.

Coulson answered him, "If she'll let us."

Donnie scrunched his brow at the response, but made no verbal comment at the stranger's words.

Instead he nodded, "She's this way."

Donnie exited the office with May and Coulson following a few steps behind.

 **September 1st 1:30: Outside**

Mary was sitting in her "hiding" spot in one of the trees on the right side of the orphanage. Gertrude had sentenced her to her room, but Nancy told her to go outside and enjoy the warm air. That it would be good for her lungs. So outside Mary went and went to her usual hiding spot. It wasn't difficult to get up there. Unless of course you didn't know how to climb a tree. There was a certain way to get up the tree that had taken Mary days to learn when she was younger. Once she found the way, she would sneak away from the orphanage and climb onto the thick branch that could hold her weight hidden behind the leaves.

While she sat there above the ground and out of sight she could relax. No one would yell at her here. No one would bother her here. This tree was one of the few places where she could pretend like the world didn't exist. It was nice. Especially with the little opening above her that allowed her a view of the sky. Everything else in her life was always changing, but the sky was the one thing that remained. No matter where she went, the sky was always there. If she could physically change her name, she would change it to match the sky. Maybe Skylar or Skye. Either one was better than Mary Sue Poots.

"Mary," she heard a voice call.

The teen groaned dramatically, as if she were dying, which amused the twelve year old and, unknown to her, the other guests.

Donnie's laugh filled Mary's ears, "Hate to bother you, but-"

"If you say Sister Gertrude wants to see me, tell her she can kiss my ass," Mary instructed with a grin.

Mary could hear the smile in Donnie's voice as he said, "I would love to, but I've already gotten three slips this week."

Mary looked down to her right to see Donnie standing at the bottom of the tree. From her view the leaves sat right above his head, hiding the two people from view. Though the two listeners could make out her figure through the trees, they did not have a good view pf her face.

Still oblivious to the listeners, she said, "I get more of those slips in a week than you've gotten in your life."

"If you insist," Donnie replied grinning, "Anyway there are two foster parents here and they want to meet you."

Mary's smile disappeared, "What? Why?"

Donnie shrugged, "Don't know, but I do know they asked for you specifically."

Mary raised an eyebrow, "That's a terrible sign. Must be the fuzz."

Donnie weakly chuckled, then sobered, "I don't think so. They just said they wanted to foster you."

Mary didn't respond. Why would foster parents come looking her? A horrible thought about someone recognizing her from her time spent with Robbie filled her mind. Had one of those guys she swindled from found her? Mary quickly shook the panic away. No one would be able to recognize her or find her from there. They never saw her face and she never gave her name. Sure they called her Hacker Girl, but that was it.

Taking a breath, Mary sat up and swung her legs over the side. With a quick push, she was falling to the ground and landed in a side lunge position without an issue. The tree branch she had been sitting on was roughly eight maybe ten feet off the ground. A bit dangerous for her to jump from, but she had jumped from higher places before without a scratch.

Her brown waves fell over her face from the fall which warranted a small laugh from Donnie. She moved the hair out of her face as she stood up and opened her mouth, but no sound came when she saw two people behind Donnie. A caucasian man and Asian woman stood a few feet away from her behind the twelve year old boy. Had they been here the whole time? Mary blinked at them.

"Uh hi," she said then looked pointedly at Donnie, "A little warning would have been nice."

Donnie replied defensively, "I did say they were here."

"Not that they were right behind you," Mary pointed out.

Donnie smiled, "My bad."

Mary playfully shoved him, "Get going fish."

"Bye," Donnie drawled still smiling.

A moment later, it was only Mary with two strangers who apparently wanted to foster her. The idea seemed odd. Why did they want to foster her? There must have been some kind of trick or hidden gain that she didn't know.

"Hi," greeted the man as he extended his hand to her, "My name's Phil Mayson."

Mary stared at his offered hand for a long time. She could tell Phil was worried she wouldn't take it, but right before he could lower his hand, she shook. His grip was definitely strong and warm.

The woman extended her hand to, Mary took it without hesitation this time, "Melinda."

Mary watched them with a curious gaze. Phil seemed to be watching her with an almost hesitant stance and expression. He seemed unsure about this. Melinda on the other hand was studying her, that much Mary could tell from her. No doubt judging her small size and rather large clothes. Or maybe because they were both Asian. Mary wasn't sure.

Phil smiled at her, "It's nice to meet you.. uh my wife and I were wondering if maybe you would like to come home with us?"

Mary's eyebrows raised at the question. Why was he asking if she wanted to go with them? Usually it was she would just leave with whoever the nuns sent her with. This must be a trick question.

"What," Mary said dumbfounded.

Melinda repeated her husband's question in fewer words, "Would you like to come home with us?"

Mary spoke with a confused expression, "I'm not sure I understand. Why are you asking? Usually it's just we're your foster parents, let's go."

Phil answered, "I- We believe the choice should be yours to make. After all, this is about where you will go. If you don't want to come with us, you don't have to."

Mary slipped her hands into her jean pockets unsure of how she was supposed to respond. She knew absolutely nothing about the two of them except for their names and the fact that they did want to foster her, which was still strange. Could she say no and they leave? Though it was tempting, she feared that they were giving her the option to be polite.

Even if she did say no, they would have her leave with them anyway. Mary didn't get any strange vibes from them and they seemed alright. Perhaps she could say yes and see how this foster home worked out. Besides, it wasn't like she had a reason to say no and she really didn't enjoy staying at the orphanage with all the other kids here. Especially after the incident yesterday.

"Okay," Mary said a little unsurely, "That would be fine."

The relief on Melinda's face and the sigh from Phil did not go unnoticed by Mary. Had they been worried she would say no? Why would they be? If she had said no, then they could have just gotten another kid.

She let a smirk form on her face, "Worried I'd say no?"

"Only a little bit," Phil told her with an easy grin.

Mary released a quick laugh, before sobering up a bit, "I do have one condition."

Melinda quirked an eyebrow, "Which is?"

"Don't call me Mary Sue. Or use the last name Poots," she said a little more confident, "I won't answer."

"What should we call you then," Phil asked her curiously.

What would they call her? What did she want to be called? Mary looked up at the blue sky over her head for a moment. That was it. The corners of her mouth twitched as she said, "Skye. Call me Skye."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

May wasn't sure what it was, but she liked this girl. Despite her small frame, May could tell that she was tough and willing to fight if she had to. Yet at the same time, there was something very easy going and relaxed about the teenager. An interesting combination that reminded May of Coulson.

May did a another once over of the fourteen year old. Faded blue jeans that touched the ground and an oversized purple t-shirt. The short sleeves cut off at her elbows and the bottom of the shirt went above her mid thigh.

Skye noticed May looking at her clothes and glanced down at her clothes for a second before returning her gaze forward. A soft pink glow grew on her cheeks.

"I like that name much better," Coulson told her, the same smile on his face.

Skye couldn't help but to return his smile. May could tell she really liked it better than before. In all honesty, May had to agree, Skye was a better name and suited her.

"Alright Skye, grab your stuff and then we can go," May said.

"Meet you in the foyer," Coulson questioned, though it sounded like a statement.

Skye nodded, "Yeah. Meet you there."

Skye walked back to the orphanage, neither May nor Coulson moved until she was at the steps of the main building. When Skye was out of sight, the pair began to walk back.

"I like her," Coulson said.

"She seems alright," May replied though she agreed with him.

Coulson scoffed, but made no verbal reply. Instead the two walked back inside to wait for their foster daughter.

Skye raced up the stairs taking two at a time. The moment she entered her room, she went to her bunk and opened the floor board. Relief washed over her like a wave. The bear was still there, untouched. Not wasting anymore time Skye grabbed her blue drawstring bag that would hold her blanket and a few other personal items she gathered along the way.

She then shrugged on her backpack that she would either use for school or to carry her clothes. Since she wouldn't be in school for at least another couple of days, it only held her clothes and toothbrush.

Yesterday she had forgotten to unpack her clothes, but seeing as she was leaving today it worked out. Now all she had to do was put the blanket away and meet the Mayson's downstairs. With all her stuff in the backpack, including the drawstring bag, she slipped her arms through the black straps and all but ran down the hallway.

Even though leaving the orphanage always made her happy, going to a new foster home would fill her with dread yet she hardly noticed it as she "walked" through the halls. That dread was still there of course, but she was distracted by the feeling of having a new name.

For years she had looked for a new name, one that would be her own and now she had one. Skye. Maybe this was it, a real chance to make something for herself. Once Skye made her way down the stairs she found Jane and Penny in the hallway, glaring at her. Jane's nose wasn't broken, much to Skye's dismay, but was currently bandaged. That was enough to satisfy Skye for now.

Skye smiled at them sweetly before walking past them without a word. Though there were a number of things she wanted to say, she decided to hold her tongue for now. She stopped outside the sitting room where Donnie was sitting with another a boy who was older than him. His name was Matthew, but everyone except the nuns called him Matt for short.

He'd been in and out of the orphanage for months now after the death of his father, which occurred not too long after an accident that caused him to go blind. Most of the kids left him alone because his disability made them uncomfortable. Skye hadn't spoken to him until one of the older boys had attacked him, she couldn't stand by and do nothing. Matt had been utterly defenseless, she refused to let fight him alone.

"You leaving," Donnie asked when he noticed Skye.

The teen nodded, "Yep, but I'll probably be back in a week or two."

"Or maybe this will be the one," Matt said, his face forward.

Skye rolled her eyes, "Doubtful, but it should be an interesting experience. Take care of yourselves alright?"

"We'll be alright," Donnie answered with a nod, "I'll tell Ace and the others that you left."

Skye nodded to him, "Matt?"

"I'll be okay," Matt answered with a small smile.

Skye grinned at them. Even though living at the orphanage or in foster care could be hell, it was the kids she looked out for that made it seem worth it. Without another word, she walked away to meet her new foster parents.

She made it to the front where Phil and Melinda were waiting with Sister Francis, who was giving them the medicine Skye had gotten from the hospital. Sister Gertrude had taken it, worried about her either handing it out to the other kids or abusing the substance. Skye hoped Phil and Melinda wouldn't ask about it.

"Alright Mary, you all set," Sister Francis asked with the same genuine smile.

Skye nodded, not bothering to correct the woman on the name. It didn't matter. The nuns wouldn't stop calling her by her legal name. Sister Francis bid them farewell and left to attend to other matters throughout the orphanage.

"That everything," Melinda questioned, gesturing to the backpack Skye had.

Even though the woman's tone was borderline robotic and her expression almost casual, Skye knew the unasked or hidden question there. Is that all you have? Having moved around so often, it was easier and more logical to travel light. Especially since it wasn't like she had a lot of belongings to begin with.

Two pairs of pants, one of which she was wearing, three shirts total: one nice shirt, the casual shirt she was wearing and a pajama shirt. She had one pair of shoes, pajama shorts, a poor fitting bra and two pairs of underwear. Not including the toothbrush and hairbrush she had as her only toiletries.

Skye didn't count the black beanie Robbie had given her as a goodbye present and a way to remember him by. Not that she would ever forget him, he was the closest thing to an older brother she ever had.

Skye gripped the bag strap a little tighter, "Yeah. Easier for me to travel with."

The look of sorrow on Phil's face didn't go unnoticed by Skye, but the look was gone as quickly as it came.

"Can't argue with that logic," Phil commented with a small smile though it looked forced.

The trio walked out as Phil started to bombard Skye with questions, "So what do you like to do for fun? Any hobbies? Hidden talents? You a math person or an English person? Or is school not your thing? What about-"

"Phil," Melinda interrupted with a half glare.

Phil frowned, "What?"

May replied, "Honestly we haven't even made it to the car and you're already interrogating her."

"Oh," Phil said, with an apologetic look he turned to Skye, "Right, sorry about that Skye."

Skye smiled at the use of her new name, "It's alright. I like computers, so I guess that could be what I do for fun and as a hobby. No hidden talents and I don't like school."

"I wasn't much of a fan of school either," Phil told her as they crossed the street, "What do you like to do with computers?"

Skye shrugged her shoulders, "Anything really. Just being on a computer is fun."

"Do you like sports," Phil asked, approaching the black GMC.

Phil unlocked the doors allowing Melinda to climb into the passenger seat, she wasn't really up for asking any questions about the girl. It didn't bother Skye that much. In all honesty, she wished Phil would stop asking her questions. She would have preferred to sit in silence, but that didn't seem likely to happen in the near future or even distant future.

Skye shrugged her shoulders, "Not really. Martial arts always looked interesting though. I also like skateboarding if that counts."

"It does," Phil answered as Skye shut the door.

Phil walked around the car to get to the driver's seat. Once the car started, he looked in the rearview mirror at Skye. An idea came to his mind, but he decided he would speak with Melinda about it later on instead of putting her on the spot. Lord knew how much she hated it when he did that to her.

"Have you eaten anything yet," Phil asked pulling out of the lot.

Skye hesitated, but after a moment she shook her head, "No."

"How about we go out for lunch," Phil suggested, "Or would you rather get settled first?"

Skye frowned. Why did he keep asking her questions? It was strange and a bit irritating if she was being honest. However, no other foster parent seemed as interested in her as Phil seemed to be which could have been why it caught her off guard.

It took Skye a minute to realize she still hadn't answered his question and the silence was stretching.

"Going out is fine, if that's what you want," she said hastily.

Phil's smile faltered for a second before it grew wider again, "Alright. Mel, you up for going out?"

Melinda glared haphazardly at her husband, "You do realize that we still need to go grocery shopping right?"

"Of course," Phil answered cheekily, "But what could be the harm in getting a quick bite? We could go to In and Out Burger. They have amazing milkshakes and hamburgers. Besides, you still have the ingredients for dinner tonight. You said sesame noodles right?"

"You're missing the point, I know you want to go out because you know I don't bring junk food into the house," Melinda responded.

Phil chuckled, "Maybe. Have you ever been to In and Out Burger before Skye?"

Skye shook her head, "Can't say that I have."

"Oh now we have to go," Phil said with widened blue eyes, "We can no longer deny this poor girl the wonder that is In and Out Burger."

Melinda rolled her eyes, "Don't listen to him. In and Out Burger is just another glorified burger bar that has too much grease and processed food."

Phil gasped in mock offense, "How dare you insult In and Out Burger. It is a magical and delicious place. Clint would agree with me."

"Clint eats like a dog," Melinda remarked with a scoff, "He eats literally anything in front of him."

"Not true, he doesn't eat out of the garbage anymore," Phil replied.

Skye chuckled at that one. Skye had been smiling at the back and forth between Phil and Melinda. So far they appeared to be good natured people, but she still feared how they would be the moment they realized that she was a bad seed. Skye started to wonder about them though.

Where they came from and stuff like that. Though one question that weighed pretty heavily on her mind was if they had other children. Whenever Skye ended up staying with foster parents who already had children of their own, she was either pushed aside or their kids would bully her. She wanted to ask, but she couldn't bring herself to ask just yet.

"Anyway," Phil said cutting off Melinda, "What do you say Skye? You up for it?"

Skye nodded a bit unsure, "Yeah. Sounds good to me."

"Yes," Phil cheered. Melinda shook her head, but was grinning nonetheless.

Twenty minutes later, Phil, Melinda and Skye were sitting in a booth at In n Out Burger. Skye sat across from Melinda and Phil as they each looked over the menu. Immediately Skye looked for the cheapest thing she could find on their which drew her to the kids section. Kids meals were always cheaper than regular ones.

"Anything catch your eye," Phil asked setting his menu done.

Skye lifted her head to look at him, "Uh. I think I would just a get regular burger."

Phil nodded, "If you like simple stuff, I recommend their cheese burger."

Skye, not wanting argue, just nodded her head.

Phil smiled at her before turning to Melinda, "What about you Mel?"

"I'm just getting a salad," answered Melinda as she set the menu down.

Phil rolled his eyes, "Oh Come on Melinda."

"What," Melinda questioned with a raised brow, "You may not be overly concerned with the food that goes into your body, but I'm keeping all the extra carbs away."

"Melinda," Phil said, stretching out her name.

It was Melinda's turn to roll her eyes, "You are an actual five year old. I hope you know that."

Phil only smiled at her in response. Skye found herself really enjoying the conversations and banter between Melinda and Phil. A waiter came by a few minutes later taking their orders. Once he was gone, the trio sat in silence. Phil opened his mouth, most likely to ask a million more questions but Melinda cut him off.

"Before my husband asks anymore questions," Melinda started with a sideways glance at Phil, "What questions do you have for us if any?"

Skye noticed how she said the word husband with uncertainty, but made nothing of it. In the brief time she had known her, Skye could tell that Melinda wasn't a very emotional person. Perhaps the word held too much affection for her taste.

"I have a few," Skye answered, hesitantly.

Melinda nodded, prompting Skye to continue.

Skye swallowed nervously before asking, "What are your rules?"

Phil raised an eyebrow at the question, "Rules?"

Skye nodded, "Yeah. Like where I can or can't go in the house, things like that. Most foster parents have a list of things, I'm getting a head start."

Phil hadn't thought about rules. It was in this moment that he realized, again, he was the legal guardian of this teenaged girl. He would be responsible for her. What she did, where she went, who she was with. His job would not only be to observe her, but to take care of her.

While Phil was caught off guard, Melinda had been prepared. She had thought over some guidelines for the girl on the drive over. It wasn't like she could give a fourteen year old girl free for all in "her and Phil's" house.

"Only some guidelines," Melinda answered smoothly, "They're easy things. I'm not sure what time you usually go to bed, but at least have your lights out by ten. If you plan on staying out late, let either myself or Phil know where you are and when you plan on coming back. There isn't any place in the house you can't go. You respect us, we respect you. That's it."

Skye nodded in understanding, "That sounds easy enough."

"Any other questions," Phil asked.

"Do you have kids," Skye questioned.

Though her expression was passive, both Phil and Melinda could hear the concern in her voice. Melinda remembered during her "how to look after a foster child" crash course that foster kids didn't always get along with kids of the family they were with. It made sense that Skye would be worried about them having other kids. Luckily for her the answer was no. However before Melinda could say as much, Phil answered the opposite.

"Yes," Phil said, almost a little too quickly.

Melinda hid her surprise well, but Phil knew he was going to have to deal with the repercussion of this later. Why he said yes was beyond him, but it just came out of him. It was technically true though. He did consider three agents like his and even Melinda's "children" despite it not being official or anything like that.

"Really," Skye asked, her voice quaked despite her efforts to keep it steady.

Phil nodded, "Yes. Three actually, but they're all out of college."

Melinda immediately realized the three people Phil was talking about. Phil had taken Clint on as his rookie while Melinda had taken Maria and later Natasha through Clint. Though Melinda wasn't sure what would possess him to say that they had three children, she wondered what their files said about it.

Had their files said that they had three previous children and she missed it? No, she wouldn't have missed it. Though there wasn't much harm in telling Skye that they had three other children. It would give them a chance to talk about the three agents without blowing their cover.

The only problem Melinda saw was that fact that there would be no evidence to support what Phil had said in records or in their house. Most people had pictures of their family members on the walls of their house.

Considering the fact that Phil and Melinda didn't have any pictures, the walls were mostly barren except for the few items Phil had put up. Melinda figured if Skye asked, she could say that they were still somewhere in storage.

"We fostered them," Phil went on with a thoughtful look.

"What are their names," Skye asked, leaning forward a bit.

This time, Melinda answered, "Clint is the oldest and only boy. Then we have Maria and Natasha."

Phil smiled at Melinda with a cross between sheepish and relieved smile. He was happy she had the same idea as him, even if he wasn't sure why he had let the idea come out of his mouth. It didn't matter anymore, the words were out and he couldn't take them back.

Skye nodded, "Where are you guys from?"

"Wisconsin," Phil answered, followed by Melinda who said, "Pennsylvania."

"How did you two meet," Skye asked with a half smile.

"We went to the same college in Montana," Phil answered, it was another half truth.

He had met Melinda had the Academy, she had arrived about a year or two after him, but had quickly surpassed him within six months. She was quite the agent, one of SHIELD's best. Not to mention one of the SHIELD academy home based was in Montana, though Phil had no idea until five years ago where the place was.

"That's cool," Skye commented.

Their food arrived after that. It smelled and looked amazing to Skye who's stomach instantly growled when the burger was placed in front of her. She had hardly eaten food in the past few days.

After being locked in a cellar for twenty four-hours, not being able to hold more ham crackers and a few bites of plain plain sandwiches at the hospital, then losing the privilege of eating, she was hungry. She hadn't eaten breakfast, only half a piece of old bread so she could take the antibiotic. She missed lunch by wandering around the woods. Stupid nun.

Skye started eating, the burger tasting incredible on her tongue. Either this was the best burger ever or she was really hungry or maybe it was both. She didn't know and she didn't really care.

"You probably don't want to eat it too fast," Phil suggested, "It will upset your stomach."

Skye's cheeks took on a slight pink glow, but she nodded. More than half her burger was already gone.

Melinda swallowed her bite of salad before saying, "Do they not feed you at the orphanage?"

On any other day, Skye would have made a remark about the question, but today wasn't the day.

"I couldn't eat dinner or breakfast," Skye said before taking another bite, "Then I missed lunch."

Phil frowned at that, "How come you couldn't eat? Was it from the accident?"

Skye tried not to flinch at the word accident, she replied, "No. I punched another girl in the face. Though in my defense, she and her groupies attacked first."

Melinda remembered the Sister's mentioning that Skye had gotten into a fight the previous day. Suddenly Skye earned a little more respect from the agent. At least she wasn't dealings with a completely defenseless child.

"Did you do any damage," Melinda questioned, she wanted gage the girl's strength.

Skye answered with an almost fearful look, "I gave her a bloody nose. I'm really not a violent person, but she wouldn't get away from me and I was angry and-"

"You don't have to explain yourself," Melinda interrupted, "If you did it out of self defense then you aren't in the wrong. They shouldn't have bothered you."

Skye was surprised to hear those words come from the woman's mouth. Skye had seriously debated on not telling them about the "fight" out of fear for how they would respond. Foster parents hadn't want troublesome or violent kids. Would they have taken her back because of it? Plenty of other foster parents would. Why wouldn't they?

"She's right," Phil agreed, "It's important to stand up and defend yourself."

Skye nodded a bit absently, "Yeah."

The rest of lunch was spent in an almost comfortable silence.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: just a quick note about calling Coulson and May, Phil and Melinda. Pretty much if Skye is anywhere, they will be referred as Phil and Melinda. Enjoy Agents!**

* * *

Chapter Six

The drive home was just as quiet as the end of lunch had been. Phil found himself growing even more nervous of the idea of being Skye to the house. What if she didn't like it? What if she hated her room? Even though he had a feeling that if she didn't like it, she wouldn't say so. He noticed that while Skye could put up a good front, she was timid and a bit fearful of them.

The file of Mary Sue held information about her being in some difficult homes, but never gave any specifics about what had happened in those homes. However it wasn't hard to put the pieces together. Phil pulled into the driveway of the house.

It was a two story house with an attic and a basement underground. The roof was black, as most roofs were. The house was a fair sized overall, Phil vaguely remembered an agent explaining to him how it was called the Kelly or maybe modeled after Kelly houses.

The bricks used on the first floor walls outside and around the white garage door were overcast grey. The garage was on the left side, with a triangle shape above the white door where some boxes were stored. The outside of the first floor had four white pillars holding a little bit of roof in front of the second story windows.

The middle window was surrounded by the cloudy grey bricks while the other windows on either side of it had pale grey paint around them instead. The shutters on each side of the windows were a dark navy blue that almost looked black.

"Nice place," Skye commented as she slid out of the back seat.

Phil practically sagged in relief, "Glad it meets your approval."

Phil, Melinda and Skye walked to the front and into the house. Skye looked around. On the left was a dining room, a deep brown long table placed in the center with four chairs on each side. The wall that she could see was painted in a color a little lighter than olive green. There was also a little chandelier hanging over the table.

On Skye's right she saw an open space with a yellowish cream couch with floral designs on it. There was a glass case on the left side with a few items in it, but she didn't look long enough to take in each item.

"This is our dining and living room," Phil explained, "We have a bathroom straight ahead on the left while the stairs are right across them."

Skye followed Phil as he made his way down the little hall until they stood in an open space. There was a flat screen tv on the wall on Skye's right with a leather couch close to her, a glass coffee table with remotes and books sitting on it.

Underneath the tv was a little shelf where Skye assumed dvd's and the cable connection was. The back door was all glass with a screen. Next to them was a four foot window in length, two feet high.

"This is what I call a lounge while Melinda calls it the _actual_ living room," Phil continued with a half smirk.

He gestured to the room behind them, "This is the kitchen. Feel free to help yourself whenever. There's a little table there with a view of the backyard though there isn't much back there except a shed. Uh, then we have the laundry room just past the kitchen. You basically walk through the garage into the laundry room before getting inside."

Skye looked briefly at the kitchen, but didn't pay much attention to it. Honestly she was only listening to him because she didn't want to be rude. She was going to be staying in his house after all and he looked a little excited to be telling her about.

Before she could get too wrapped up in her thoughts, she refocused in on Phil who had been telling her about how to work the TV set. He was also telling her about how he and Melinda had just moved in along with the fact that the house was built five years ago. Skye couldn't honestly care less.

Melinda cut in a moment later, "How about we let Skye get settled before you tell her everything you know about this house."

Phil stopped talking about the house and said sheepishly, "Sorry. I tend to talk a lot when nervous."

"Nervous about a stranger living in your house," Skye commented passively.

Phil shook his head, "Nervous that I'm going to make a fool of myself."

Skye hadn't expected that. The Mayson's were just full of surprises, it's only been a few hours.

"Too late for that Phil," Melinda said with an almost teasing grin.

Phil smiled at her fondly, "Thanks for that. I'll let you get settled. I need to make a phone call real quick."

Skye followed Melinda upstairs while Phil pulled out his phone and dialed some numbers. There was a little open space at the top of the stairs. On Skye's left specifically.

There was nothing there, but it could be a little sitting area if there were a chair and maybe a desk. The only thing there was the center window of the house. There were also two white doors.

"The door on the left is the office," Melinda informed her, she went to the door on the right, "This is your room."

Skye followed the woman inside the room who didn't bother to hide her surprise at the room. The room was bigger than any room Skye had stayed in, by herself, before. On the far side of the room, a full sized bed was placed with the white headrest pressed against the dark grey wall.

The comforter was divided into four squares, the bottom left corner and top right we're both black while the top left was pink and the bottom right was sky blue. The pillows stacked on top each other were a combination of black, pink and blue. The pillows she would sleep on were blue while the decorated ones were pink and black.

Skye walked into the middle of the room, her brown eyes wide with wonder. She looked away from the bed to see two white doors which would lead to the closet. Her attention returned to the bed.

There was about four feet of space between the bed and the window. Just opposite of the bed was a white dresser with six drawers and a _TV_ sitting on top. She'd never had a tv in her room before.

"We weren't sure what you liked," Melinda admitted after a few minutes of silence, "Maria recommended the set up. If you don't like it-"

"Don't like it," Skye breathed out, "I love it. It's amazing."

Melinda offered Skye a gentle smile. Had she been worried that Skye wouldn't like it? Yes. Even though she would never admit out loud, she was nervous that the teen wouldn't like the room considering how anxious Phil had been about it. His nerves were becoming contagious.

"A shame I'll have to leave," Skye had said, more to herself than Melinda.

"Leave it," Melinda questioned.

However she knew exactly what Skye meant. The agent was surprised by how much the next words from Skye actually hurt to hear.

"It's not like I'll be here long," Skye had said matter of factly, "And I wouldn't be able to take it with me."

Part of Melinda wanted to argue with her, but at the same time she knew it was true. Skye wouldn't be here long nor would she be able to take all this with her. Skye would only be here until Maria and her team could track down the beast hunting her. That could take days, weeks and maybe months.

There was no telling how long Skye would be staying here, but Melinda knew it wasn't forever. Suddenly Melinda felt a pang of guilt. Wasn't she going to leave in a little over two weeks?

Before Melinda could consider staying, the images of a little girl with pale skin and down red appeared before her. Melinda forced the images away. She wouldn't think of that now.

"You never know," Melinda commented quietly, "I'll let you get settled. You need anything, I'll be downstairs."

Skye nodded, Melinda was about to walk out when she said, "Melinda?"

"Yes," Melinda asked with a raised brow.

"Thank you," Skye said honestly, "For the comforter and room and tv. It means a lot."

Melinda acknowledged her words with a nod before closing the door leaving the teen to her thoughts. Once the door was closed, Skye pulled out her clothes and hung them up in the closet.

No other foster family had prepared a room for her to this extent. Sure they would have a bed prepared for her when she arrived, but honestly that was about it. This had been a step up. Skye tried not to smile, but failed miserably.

Melinda walked downstairs to speak to Phil, not only about getting their story straight, but where to go from here. Melinda would worry about plans after she knew where they were starting.

It was still a strange thought to Melinda that she now had a teenager to look after. May entered the kitchen to find Phil standing near the table by the breakfast nook, phone pressed to his ear as he spoke quietly. It was obvious he was worried that Skye would hear the conversation if he talked any louder.

"Okay… yes, we'll look into it later tonight when Skye's asleep… No. That's just the name she wanted to be called…. You can say that again… Alright. Coulson out."

Melinda folded her arms over her chest as Phil hung up the phone, "Was that Hill?"

Phil nodded, "Yeah. Let her know that we brought Skye home and informed her that we're going to make some alterations to the Mayson files." Phil paused for a moment, he tilted his head slightly, "I know we covered the basics of our backstory, but nothing in depth."

"No, yet apparently the basics included three children to our story though they are nowhere to be found in our files," Melinda stated with a pointed look.

Phil smiled sheepishly at her, "Yeah, I'm not sure why I said it, but it just came out. You would think after years of undercover assignments I wouldn't get caught off guard."

Melinda inhaled, "What's your plan to fix that mistake?"

"Don't worry I've got it covered," Phil answered confidently, "Tonight Hill can alter our files, add in the files of our "children" along with some pictures and we're in business."

Melinda scoffed, "You make it sound so simple."

Phil shrugged his shoulders, "It is fairly easy. Anyway, I figured we could make up some more stories tonight and add in anything we want. Next order of business is shopping."

"Shopping for what," Melinda asked with a raised eyebrow.

"To get her more clothes," Phil said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, "You saw what she was wearing. That shirt could be a dress on her, not to mention all the rips in those jeans. No."

"Cou- Phil," Melinda corrected, "We can't buy her a full wardrobe. She isn't staying forever."

"Maybe not, but she still deserves to have some clothes that actually fit her," Phil pointed out, his blue eyes narrowing.

Melinda relented, she could understand where he was coming from, "Alright. Tomorrow we'll go shopping to get her whatever she needs."

"And anything that catches her eye," Phil added with a decisive nod.

Melinda would have argued with him on that front, but it would fall on deaf ears. When Phil Coulson had his mind set on something, especially when it involved helping others, nothing could change his mind.

Secretly it was something Melinda admired about her friend. Though Phil could be very passive and easy going, there were definitely times when he would not back down.

"Should we work on our story now," Phil asked curiously.

Melinda shook her head, she glanced over at the stairs, "No. Don't need her to walk down and hear us trying to come up with a story. We can make it up tonight. You should show her the basement while I start the report then get started on the dinner I'm apparently supposed to make."

Phil's eyes lit up at that, he really loved the basement. He loved how to get to the basement even more. Under the staircase, on the right wall of the family room, was a white door against the golden yellow paint.

Behind that door would be a set of stairs on the right that would lead the the multiple rooms of the basement. Perhaps Skye would join him in watching some movies or playing video games.

Unless of course she didn't like either, but Phil was almost certain she did like those things. He wasn't sure exactly why he thought so, he just seemed certain that she did. Phil walked upstairs to Skye's room, he knocked twice on the door and waited for her to answer.

Skye opened the door and let him inside, "Hey."

"Hey," Phil said trying not to act awkward, "You getting settled okay?"

Skye nodded, "Yeah. Finished putting my clothes up, though it didn't take long."

Phil nodded in acknowledgment, but wasn't sure what he should say next. Even though making conversation always came easily to him, he hadn't want to say the wrong thing to her.

Most of the times he was undercover he had to get close a target in order to find out their secrets. He hadn't need to find this girl's secrets. That wasn't why he was here.

"You like the room," Phil asked, after a pregnant silence.

Skye's nod came excited and a little giddy, "Definitely my favorite."

Phil smiled, relieved, "I'm glad you like it. Well thought I'd check and see how unpacking was going. Also to set up the TV-"

Phil stopped talking when his eyes landed on a World War II Captain America trading card. It was a picture of Captain America in his original suit holding the star shield with his right hand while he had his left hand raised to his forehead in salute.

The background behind him was a shade lighter than brick along with the number ten in the right hand corner. It was the most beautiful thing Phil had seen.

"Mr Mayson," Skye asked worriedly, "You alright?"

"You have a Captain America card, the tenth one in the original set," Phil answered still in awe.

Skye moved over to his side to see her trading card, the one she had received as a present from an old foster brother who had won it in a bet. Captain America had been a real life hero.

Skye would be lying if she said that she hadn't fantasized Captain America coming to rescue her, though she had done the same thing with Peter Pan. Captain America was real, something she could hold onto even as she grew up.

"Really," Skye asked picking up the card, "A friend of mine gave me a pick at some items he wanted to give me. I liked Captain America so I chose the card. I take it you like him?"

Phil nodded with a childlike smile, "You have no idea. Captain America was my hero growing up. I have every card, but the last one. These are valuable."

"I knew it was valuable, but I hadn't realized there was a whole a set," Skye said with a small frown, "Though I probably should have realized it was a part of set considering it has a ten on the top."

"I can show you the other cards if you like, " Phil offered, a feeling camaraderie going on.

Skye looked at him with slightly wide eyes, "Really? You'd let me see them?"

"Absolutely," Phil answered grinning, "Come on. They're in the basement."

"Thanks Mr Mayson," Skye said still grinning.

Phil shook his head, "It's no trouble and call me Phil."

Skye looked a little unsure, but she did nod in response.

Phil asked as they walked down the stairs, "Have you read any of the comic books?"

"Nope," Skye said popping the 'p'.

Phil tsked, "We'll have to change that. While I could never find all the cards, I did find several other items and all of the comics about him."

"Aren't there over a hundred of those," Skye asked as they made their into the family room.

Phil nodded still grinning, "137 comics to be exact. I have each and everyone of them in plastic sleeves, near mint condition."

Skye made no comment, but nodded in acknowledgement of his statement. It didn't take a genius to know that Phil was definitely proud of his collection.

Melinda felt the corners of her mouth twitch as she listened to Phil's fading voice talk about the great history of Captain America, again. Over the years Melinda had definitely heard all of Captain America's adventures. Not that she didn't like the hero, she did, but she was nowhere near as obsessed as Phil was.

Throughout the duration of Melinda's time working on papers and cooking, Skye and Phil had resurfaced from the basement twice. Skye had left to use the restroom since one wasn't in the basement while Phil had come out once to grab yet another Captain America item.

Either Skye was very interested in Captain America or she didn't want to be rude and tell him the stop. Melinda had no idea which one it was considering all afternoon Skye and Phil stayed in the basement.

By the time Melinda finished cooking, Phil and Skye had resurfaced from the basement. The food was just about ready. Skye's face was the picture of a giddy child, Melinda suddenly had a feeling that she was going to hear Captain America's story again. Not that she really minded.

She would pretend she did, but she she really hadn't mind the chatter as long as she didn't have to say much. If Phil and Skye ended up talking about Captain America throughout dinner, she would be okay with that.

"Wow," Skye said pulling Melinda from her thoughts, "It smells amazing."

Melinda lifted her head from the plates she had just finished preparing. In every sense of the word Melinda was a good cook and had been told on multiple occasions. Whenever her mother was home the two of them would end up cooking.

Every recipe Lian May knew, she had passed onto her daughter who she hoped would pass it on to children of her own. Skye leaned over the counter to look at the plates. Sesame noodles, golden brown pasta sitting on fried rice with some grilled chicken and vegetables on the side. It looked fantastic and smelled even better.

"It tastes just as good as it looks," Phil informed the teen.

Phil glanced at Melinda, there was a sparkle in his eyes that Melinda absolutely hated to see. It was hope. It was the hope that the woman he had met all those years ago will existed. That the same prank pulling, fun loving and ass kicking woman was still there.

She wasn't there anymore, only her shadow and shell remained. Why couldn't he see that? Melinda knew she had been putting up a good front while here as for the sake of their cover, but it was all an act. Surely Phil had to know that.

Surely Agent Coulson could see through her guise to know that it wasn't really her. Melinda wouldn't say anything about it though. How could she? The trio took a seat at the table in the breakfast nook.

It was a chocolate brown table with matching chairs that could seat up to six comfortably. While Phil and Melinda sat across each other, Skye sat between them with her back to the window. At first, they are in mostly silence with the occasional "wow" and "this is really good" from Phil and Skye. When half of their plates were gone, Skye broke the silence.

"When am I going to school," Skye asked before taking another bite of pasta.

Phil answered, "You'll start school on Monday. We have you enrolled at Carter High."

Skye had never heard of Carter High, but she had to keep in mind she wasn't in the same area as Agnes. Though starting a new school was never easy, it made her life easier knowing she was only going to a new school and not a new state.

Over the past fourteen years of her life, she had been to more than ten different schools and four states. She never stuck around long enough to get used to the system of a new school. Though her last school actually wasn't bad.

"Also we were thinking about heading out to the shopping center tomorrow," Phil went on, "Figured we could get you some more school supplies and anything that caught your eye."

Skye nodded her head. Even though she had a few school supplies, she knew she didn't have everything. Not to mention she didn't want to argue with him about it. Melinda and Phil appeared to be good people so far, but Skye was waiting for that break.

While Phil seemed completely genuine, she just knew that Melinda was forcing this. Most of her actions required a bit of effort. Not the physical kind. It was more mental than anything else.

Melinda studied Skye's reaction. Her mouth stayed in a line as she thought over Phil's words, not to mention she looked a bit uncomfortable about it. Did she not want to go shopping? Did she already have supplies, but was too worried to tell them so? Or was it just the idea that they were going to get stuff that bothered her? Melinda was leaning on the third one.

Considering how Skye reacted to the room and the small bag she brought with her, Melinda knew that the teen must not have had many luxuries in life. It made Melinda curious to know if any other foster homes had bought her anything other than the necessities.

Even though Melinda knew she shouldn't be thinking about this, she just couldn't help herself. Maybe Phil was right in stating his earlier point. There was no telling how long Skye would be with them.

For all they knew Hill wouldn't find the man beast for years rather than weeks or months. It was a possibility that neither of them considered, but perhaps they could make her stay here as enjoyable as they could.

Once dinner was over, Phil put the plates away turning both Melinda and Skye's offer to clean up. He didn't mind cleaning. Besides, he could tell that Skye looked just about ready to go to sleep and wondered if it was because of the long day or the medicine she just took made her drowsy. He wasn't sure, but he wouldn't ask either. It was nearly nine. Skye disappeared to take shower allowing Melinda and Phil a chance to talk.

"I don't know about you," Phil started as he put the last dish away, "But I really like this kid."

"You did spend all afternoon with her," Melinda acknowledged.

Phil grinned at her, "I went through just about everything in Captain America. She seemed interested in it."

"Sure she wasn't faking to be polite," Melinda asked with a raised brow.

Phil shrugged as he walked out of the kitchen past Melinda, "Eh. She asked a ton of questions, so she had to at least be a little interested. Not to mention, she was very excited when I gave her my Cap cards."

Melinda froze. Phil Coulson never let anyone touch those cards, not even her or Garrett or Fury or anyone. Looking at the those cards the wrong way would result in upsetting Coulson, yet he just gave the cards to a girl he met not even ten hours ago.

"You gave her your vintage card collection," Melinda asked in astonishment.

Phil stopped at the stairs. He didn't need to look at her to know that she was surprised by this revelation. He loved those cards probably just as much as he loved the actual Captain America.

To hear he had just given them away to a stranger was simply unheard of. Phil looked at Melinda feeling as though he should explain why he had given them to her even though he wasn't entirely sure why he had.

When he looked at Skye, he saw a girl who was struggling to keep herself from breaking. The world had been cruel to her yet Phil could still see light in her eyes. It was fading, but Phil could still see it.

"She needs them more than me," Phil answered, he started going up the stairs then, "It took me forever to get her to accept them though. She's stubborn, but the smile on her face was worth it."

Melinda stayed in her spot as Phil disappeared up the steps. This revelation would remain in her mind for a long time, but for now she wouldn't worry too much about it. Instead she clicked off the kitchen and living room lights before going upstairs.

Phil was a good judge of character. If he wanted to give her one of his most prized possessions, that meant he must see something very special about her.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Only Melinda and Skye in this chapter, a bit of a filler chapter. See you soon agents!**

 **And PSA for my reviewers, thank you all for criscisms and praise. Expect some responses in your PM's over the next couple days. Since I stopped replying to them in chapter posts, I'm going to start reply to them via PMs for all stories. Some old reviews will get some replies while all future reviews will get a response. Okay that's all.**

 **Summary: Agents Melinda May and Phil Coulson are put on a new assignment to look after an object of unknown origin, an 0-8-4. The only catch is this 0-8-4 is a person. A fourteen year old girl who's spent her life in the foster system is now in more danger than ever. A man beast is hunting her and SHIELD has to make sure that it doesn't get close to her. AU, MCU characters will be used.**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven**

 **Friday September 2**

Skye stared out at the passing scenery with the side of her head pressed against the cool window. Her first night and morning at the Mayson's had gone without an incident.

Neither Melinda nor Phil had been mean to her in any way which Skye wanted to believe was a good sign. She didn't' put much hope in that though. Mr Hyde had been good for a month before he snapped.

Skye shuddered silently. This morning Skye was supposed to go to the mall with Phil and Melinda, but Phil had been pulled away by work. It was last minute and unavoidable judging by how the phone call had gone. Even though Skye had only half the conversation to follow she could tell that it was a battle Phil couldn't win no matter how hard he was fighting.

So the plan had changed. It would only be Melinda and Skye for the day which slightly unnerved Skye. While Phil had been almost overwhelmingly open with Skye, Melinda had kept a good distance from the girl despite her efforts. Melinda's expressions didn't change much making it more difficult for Skye to get a read on the older woman.

All Skye could really gage about the woman was that she wasn't much of a talker and she was definitely scary. It made Skye wonder if Melinda would be the first to turn out to be something she wasn't.

"So," Melinda said, she turned down the radio, "I was thinking we head to the mall first then head to the grocery store."

Skye nodded, "Sounds good."

An awkward silence followed. Melinda really wasn't good at keeping conversation going. She really hated how Phil could just talk and talk with people as if he had known them for years. It was irritating at the most, but amusing at the least. Melinda decided she would try something.

"I'm not very good at this, Phil is much better at this than I am," Melinda admitted, "He always was."

Skye looked at Melinda and though she didn't say anything, Melinda knew it was a prompt for her to continue.

Melinda continued, "We don't know you. And you don't know us. Phil tends to pour himself out right away while I reveal nothing. I'm not asking for you to tell me everything or to trust us yet, but I'm asking for a chance."

"A chance," Skye questioned unsurely.

Melinda nodded, keeping her eyes on the road she said, "Yes. A chance for us to know you and for you to know us."

Skye didn't answer right away. Instead she thought over what Melinda was asking of her, trying to find the hidden meaning behind it. What was Melinda trying to gain from this? Was there something that Skye couldn't see?

Melinda and Phil were nice to her. That didn't mean she wanted to get close to them though. For all she knew, she could be leaving them tomorrow. Except in the back of Skye's mind she wanted to give them a chance. She was tired of never getting to know people, but more tired of knowing people and leaving them forever.

"I think I could do that," Skye said in a voice just louder than a whisper, "Tell me something about yourself. Maybe we could trade off?"

Melinda nodded, she liked that idea, "Let's see. I will eat anything covered in chocolate."

Skye thought for a moment before saying, "I love whipped cream."

"I can't stand fog horns."

"I'm not a fan of balloons."

"I'd choose flats over heels any day."

"Big sweatshirts are really comfortable."

"Figure skating was a pastime of mine."

"I like to find star constellations."

The two of them went back and forth with various things about themselves until Melinda pulled into the mall parking lot. Neither had said anything to personal or revealing, but enough for them both to have scratched the surface.

Melinda found that Skye was a bit fun to be around. The teenaged girl could be, for lack of a better word, dorky when she wanted to be and Melinda wished she acted that way more. It was sweet.

The two of them walked into the entrance and Skye immediately felt overwhelmed. She had been to the mall maybe twice in all her life, each time had ended in disaster. There were also a lot of people here. It was Friday, but most people wouldn't come to the mall during the morning. Melinda noticed Skye tense beside her, wondering why she did.

"You okay," Melinda asked as they walked.

Skye nodded unsure, "Yeah. Uh, just haven't been to the mall in awhile. I forgot how big this place is."

"When was the last time you came to the the mall," Melinda questioned curiously.

Skye tilted her head to the side, "I think three years ago. Maybe four. I'm not exactly sure."

Melinda wasn't sure how to reply to that. Even though Melinda hadn't been to a mall in years, she figured that someone at Skye's age would live at the mall. Then again Skye wasn't exactly a typical teenage girl.

"Alright, how about we start with clothes," Melinda offered, she gestured to Macy's ahead of them, "We can start getting some generic stuff and if you see a store that catches your eye we can there."

Skye was tempted to argue that she didn't need any new clothes, but decided against it. Not only did she need new clothes, but Melinda was intimidating.

"Okay," Skye said flexing it was the safest answer.

Skye followed Melinda to Macy's, the first place they checked was the teens section. Melinda had made a mental list of the clothes that Skye would need: jeans, pajamas, short and long sleeved shirts, jackets, shoes, a dress or two, maybe some skirts though Melinda didn't think that would he her style.

Inwardly Melinda sighed. So much for only getting the essentials and school supplies. Skye needed practically one of everything in this store and the other stores. The poor girl only had a backpack of clothes, those clothes didn't even fit her right. The thought was starting to piss Melinda off.

Was it really that difficult to give her clothes that fit? Was it really that hard to bring her to the store and have her try on some sizes? Melinda and Skye went around to the pants section.

Skye had only chosen two pairs, despite Melinda telling her that she could get more. The teen was too nervous to actually pick out the jeans she wanted because she didn't want Melinda to spend money on her.

Melinda wasn't having it. In the end, Melinda had ended up pointing to jeans and asking if Skye likes them or not. Skye either nodded yes or no. With the jeans picked out in three different sizes, they traveled to the dressing rooms where Skye tried on each pair. At first Skye wasn't sure how to tell whether or not the jeans fit her right.

Were they supposed to be big on her or tight? Skye was too embarrassed to ask Melinda though. What kind of teenager didn't know how tell if jeans fit them? Luckily Skye didn't have to ask.

"Let me see them on you," Melinda said, "I want to make sure they look okay."

Skye walked out with the first pair of blue jeans. Her body language practically screamed uncertain and uncomfortable.

"How do they feel," Melinda asked as Skye stood in front of her, "Loose? Tight? Long? Short?"

Skye hesitated, "Loose."

Melinda studied her in the jeans, "What size is that?"

"A medium I think," Skye answered unsurely.

"Try on the petite one," Melinda instructed.

Skye went in the dressing room, grabbed the blue jeans with petite on the tag and slipped them on. They felt nice. The jeans didn't squeeze her thighs and they didn't go past her feet like her previous ones. There were also no holes. Skye stepped out of the dressing room.

Melinda nodded in approval, "Those look good."

"They feel good," Skye added with a small smile.

"Looks like we found your size," Melinda said a pleased look on her face, "Let's go find some more in that size."

Skye nodded in response.

In the end, Skye ended up with seven new pairs of jeans. Three blue jeans, one dark blue while the other two were light blue. She got one pair of salmon colored jeans, two pairs of black jeans and one pair of white jeans. Even though Skye protested the white, saying that she would get them dirty after wearing them once, Melinda told her about bleach.

After putting all the jeans in a cart, Melinda brought Skye over to the jean shorts section. It was the beginning of September so the weather was still a bit on the warmer side.

The only problem was Skye really did not want to try them on. She didn't even want to look at the jean shorts. Melinda wanted to ask why Skye didn't want to look at the shorts, but she decided against it not wanting to upset the younger girl any further.

In the short time she had been with Melinda, the woman knew that Skye wasn't very opinionated. Or if she was, she definitely didn't show it. However Skye was very clear about the shorts. With this in mind. Melinda let it go and they moved on to getting her some new shirts.

Melinda told Skye to pick whatever she wanted after assuring the girl for what felt like the hundredth time that it was okay for her to choose. Melinda liked to think of herself as a very patient person. Yet she hated to repeat herself. She said it once already and that should be enough. It wasn't enough for Skye. Had it ever been enough for Skye?

Skye had a thing for shirts with images or writing on them. One long sleeve shirt that was red-ish covered had in white writing on the front, "allergic to mornings".

Another shirt that Melinda found amusing was a cream colored t-shirt with a black and white image of palm trees and a sunset printed on the front. Underneath it, the letters in gold, read "chase the sunset".

Melinda's next favorite shirt had been the blue shirt with the Captain America shield on front. Phil would love that one for sure. For the next hour and a half, Melinda and Skye had picked out clothing.

Throughout that time Skye had relaxed enough to start talking more filling the once awkward silences. Melinda quickly learned that Skye could talk about just about anything that caught her eye with a smile on her face.

When they made it to the register however, Skye's smile faded at the sight of the amount of money all this costs. Melinda didn't bat an eye. She was using Phil's money since he insisted that they buy Skye everything. Melinda was actually glad he had said so. The girl really needed this.

Even though Melinda remembered reading about how foster parents weren't supposed to buy their foster children a lot of items, she figured there shouldn't be much harm. Besides, Skye didn't have a lot to begin with. Melinda made a mental note that they needed to get Skye a suitcase so she could use that to pack her clothes instead of a school bag.

Though Melinda was frugal when it came to buying things and she may not consider herself cheap, but she hardly spent more than necessary. The amount money she was spending on any other day would have given her pause, but it was necessary for Skye. The girl hardly had anything and that was unacceptable to the agent.

"I'm sorry," Skye mumbled not looking at Melinda.

Melinda looked down at Skye with a frown, "Why? You haven't done anything."

Skye refused to look at her, the floor was more interesting anyway, "I've cost you more money."

"So," Melinda asked as she handed the card to the lady at the register.

Skye looked up at Melinda with a confused look. What did Melinda mean by that? That it didn't matter that Skye costs them money? Was it a trick question?

"So," Skye asked dumbstruck looking at Melinda.

Melinda nodded, "So I spent 300 hundred dollars on clothes. You needed them. Phil and I are going to buy you whatever it is you need. That's our job. Not just to watch over you, but to take care of you."

Skye shifted from foot to foot.

Melinda frowned at the teen, "How often are you told you should be _so grateful_ for what you have?"

Skye's eyebrows rose, before she schooled her features into a more passive expression. She tried to anyway. Her expression was still surprised and a bit sad.

"Skye," Melinda said, prompting the teen to answer.

"Almost every day," Skye admitted her frown deepening.

Melinda nodded in understanding, "Clint had heard that phrase for most of his life. While it's good to be thankful for what you have because someone else may not, that doesn't mean you have to settle for the least. What they have given you Skye is not enough. Were they all hand me downs?"

"I-I," Skye started, but backtracked, "Yes... They are."

"I figured as much," Melinda commented a bit sourly, "Now you don't have to worry about those clothes anymore unless you want to keep them."

Skye really didn't want to keep them, "Not really."

"Then you don't have to," Melinda told her, "You should have clothes that at least fit you."

Skye didn't say anything in response. Instead, she helped Melinda with the bags of her new clothes. The thought seemed odd to her. She had _new_ clothes.

"Thank you," Skye said as they walked out of the store, "I don't mean to seem ungrateful. I know you don't have to buy me stuff. I-I guess it's just weird that you want to buy me stuff, no one else ever does."

Melinda wanted to tell Skye to get used to it, but she couldn't. Once again Melinda was reminded that there was no telling how long Skye would be with them. Whether it be days, weeks or months. Melinda was also questioning herself on why she cared so much. This girl wouldn't be here long. Hell, Melinda planned to leave in sixteen days. Yet now the idea seemed unlikely.

It wasn't hard for Melinda to tell that Skye had abandonment issues because no one ever stayed with her for long. Could Melinda honestly be able to just walk away? Basically abandoning the teen like everyone else had? No. The answer was no despite how much Melinda wanted to deny it.

Images of a little girl with fair skin flashed into her. A child barely ten years old stared up at her, her brown eyes alight with corruption and taint. She didn't know. She didn't understand. She was so young, she was too young. Melinda took a steady breath. Bahrain was over. She wasn't there.

Melinda focused on the teen walking beside her whose eyes were bright with wonder. It was strange to Melinda. The file of Mary Sue Poots was not very good. That everything she had experienced had been because of a harsh world yet this girl still smiled. This girl still looked around with an almost childlike innocence. Either Skye was stronger than Melinda gave her credit for or she put up one hell of a front.

Melinda answered, "You're welcome. While you stay with us Skye, if there is something you want just say so. Now if you ask for a sports car we may have to have a conversation."

It took Skye a few seconds to determine if Melinda was being serious or joking. Of course she wouldn't ask for a sports car, she could be barely ask for clothes. Not to mention, she was only fourteen.

Skye decided to smile, "Probably won't be asking for that. I think I'll stick with this."

Melinda switched gears, "Do you have a cell phone?"

"No," Skye answered honestly.

Melinda figured that, "Alright. Our next stop is the phone store. I can't get you the latest Stark phone, but maybe a Samsung or Apple."

Skye stared at Melinda incredulously. Was Melinda planning on getting her a cell phone? Skye staggered over her feet at the thought.

"Wait," Skye said still processing, "You're getting me a phone?"

Melinda glanced at Skye, "Yes. If you're out, Phil or myself need to get in touch with you."

"But a cell-cell phone," Skye said, fumbling over her words, "You already spent so much money on these clothes and-"

"Skye," Melinda interrupted stopping in the middle of the walkway.

Skye stopped with her, fear raced through her spine. She knew she should have kept her mouth shut. Foster home number three taught her it was better to remain silent or face consequences.

Melinda was going to shout at her, maybe even hit her. Skye felt every muscle in her body tense as she waited for the blows to come. This would be where Melinda would show her true self.

Melinda faced Skye and was surprised to see how tense and fearful Skye looked. Was Skye waiting for her to shout at her? Was she afraid that she would hit her? Melinda would never hit a child. Her mother and father never hit her.

Sure they had grabbed her arm or gotten close into her face, shouted at her a handful of times, but never hit her. Melinda thought it was because she never deserved a hit. Yet she wondered if maybe her parents just didn't like the idea.

"I'm sorry," Skye breathed out, "I didn't mean to talk back… it won't happen again I swear. Just p-please don't hit- don't be upset."

"I'm not upset," Melinda said.

Skye bit the inside of her bottom lip hard, her fear was doubling by the second. Was this another trick? Was Melinda keeping up appearances because they were in public? Did she mean it? No. They never meant it. No one would ever be okay with Skye. She was difficult, troublesome, not a good fit.

Skye forced herself not to cry, even though she desperately wanted to sob. Why was she so difficult? Why couldn't she just say thank you and move on? Why did she have to push? What was wrong with her?

Skye took a breath trying to steady herself. She forced all her emotions away, trying to get face under control. It worked for the most part, except for her glossy eyes.

Melinda could see Skye struggling not to unravel. Suddenly Melinda felt incredibly guilty. What had she done to cause this reaction? What or who had hurt Skye so much to react this way?

"Skye it's okay," Melinda said, her tone a cross between gentle and exasperated, "I'm not upset with you and I'm not going to hit you. Neither Phil nor myself will put our hands on you without your consent."

Skye tasted metal in her mouth.

"Look," Melinda started, "While you stay with us, you don't need to worry about anything. It is Phil and I's job to take care of you. _Our_ job, not yours."

Skye didn't look convinced by Melinda's words. Melinda knew she hadn't sounded too convincing though. Skye slipped her hands into her jeans pockets and Melinda noticed something flash in the teen's eyes. It eerily reminded Melinda of a certain redhead who would have the same look in their eyes after a moment of 'weakness'.

"If you say so," Skye said in such a quiet voice, Melinda hadn't been sure she had said the words at all. Without another word, Melinda and Skye continued through the mall in silence.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I've probably re-written this chapter ten times and I think this is the best version of it. Still not perfect, but no chapter ever really is.**

 **I had planned from the beginning that Skye would have a disorder/ disability of some kind to add to her character. The panic/anxiety attacks are fairly common, so I wanted to go a little deeper than that since it is used quite often. In this universe she is dyslexic and a mild case of ADHD, though could be more prominent in later chapters.**

 **For any Percy Jackson fans out there, Skye is now a demigod.**

 **Warning: a word that has been used to describe/ insult people with disabilities will make an appearance as Skye has been on the receiving end of such a word. I don't like that word, I would have rathered leaving it out, but I think by using it shows the effect it can have on someone like Skye. I apologize if it offends someone, I mean no disrespect in using it to make a point.**

 **Summary:** **Agents Melinda May and Phil Coulson are put on a new assignment to look after an object of unknown origin, an 0-8-4. The only catch is this 0-8-4 is a person. A fourteen year old girl who's spent her life in the foster system is now in more danger than ever. A man beast is hunting her and SHIELD has to make sure that it doesn't get close to her. AU**

* * *

 **Chapter Eight**

 **Friday September 2nd continued.**

When May and Skye were gone, Coulson filed away the reports that Fury sent him before he made contact with Agent Morse to make sure that Skye was enrolled without an issue. Out of all the missions that Coulson had ever been on, looking after a child or teen had never been one of them. It was a bit exciting. Something new.

However he wouldn't be one hundred percent undercover because the company he worked at had ties with SHIELD. If he was going to be called out to a mission, he would get the assignment while at 'work'. While Skye would think he worked at the college and in Insurance and had to travel around quite a bit, he actually did work with SHIELD.

Coulson would still go to the college he would lecture at for the sake of show, but he would only go to do work for SHIELD there. Discovering that from Hill had been disappointing, but he wouldn't let it bring him down. At least he would be able to speak with the prospective agents there from time to time.

Coulson was pulled out of his thoughts when Agent Morse spoke to him, "Everything is in order sir. Next is to address her classes and previous performance."

Initially Coulson wasn't going to look into her classes or what she would be doing at school, but he just couldn't help himself. After spending an afternoon with her, he really wanted to be involved with her life while she was here. Once this Rogue experiment was captured and she was safe, he hoped he would be able to stay close to her.

She needed at least one person to remain in her life. He wanted to be the one to stay with her, regardless of protocols and rules. Coulson's focus returned on the blonde woman, who was looking at another screen he couldn't see.

The computer screen in the office across from Skye's room allowed for 'video conferences' without the use of Skype or FaceTime. Rather the camera was built into the computer for this specific purpose. From what Coulson could tell, Agent Morse was sitting at a desk in a SHIELD office. The symbol behind her gave that away.

"Alright, what do you have so far," Coulson asked with a nod.

The woman typed as she spoke, "Her grades were pretty good from second to seventh grade. Despite how often she moved, she did a good job keeping up with work along with her possible learning disorders. This past year they fell through the floor and appeared more like how you would expect a struggling students work to be."

"Her performance fell through and she only had possible learning disorders," Coulson questioned with a raised brow, "Was she never tested?"

The Agent nodded, "Her grades fell far throughout her eighth grade year, this past one. It looks like various teachers thought she was struggling beyond what they would say an average student would and no one ever tested her to see if the work was just harder for her or if something was going on."

"Any idea why her grades suffered or why she was never tested," Coulson decided to ask, even though he figured the answer would be no.

"No clear reason. Only thing it says here is that she was in California from June of 2010 to March of 2011. September through March she maintained a solid C- average overall," Agent Morse replies shaking her head, "And my guess is with how often she moved they must never have brought her in for an evaluation."

Coulson made a mental note of that, "What do you recommend? You've been in the school and overlooking the courses for the other students I'm sure."

"I have," Agent Morse acknowledged, she took her undercover work very seriously, "I think she would do well here. It had a more individualized approach which will benefit her. The past year looks more like behavioral issue rather than academic."

Coulson nodded, prompting Agent Morse to continue.

Agent Morse went on, "Judging from these files and reports that seems to be logical reason… I did check her past files from teachers and it says she struggled to focus in class, had trouble in reading and writing as a whole mostly with spelling. Authoritative issues didn't make an appearance until fourth grade. I shouldn't have, but I sent you her reports so you could see for yourself."

Coulson nodded, he raised an eyebrow in question, "I'll look into it. She was just slow in school, but still managed to do well. That's a good sign then."

"Yeah," Agent Morse replied simply, "Most of the files were about discipline and her problems with authority which makes sense given her background. Regular school system is probably too draining for her so I placed her on the career path here for now."

"You think it will go over better," Coulson asked curiously, he knew the school operated with two types of school. One was standard, the other was a career starter.

Agent Morse nodded, "I think so. On Monday I'll show her and she can decide then. In the meantime you can look over her previous files."

Coulson nodded, that sounded fine to him, "I'll speak with her later on it. Thank you for your time."

"It was no trouble sir," Agent Morse assured him, "This has been the most interesting part of my assignment."

"Teenagers not your thing," Coulson remarked.

Agent Morse shook her head, "Not at all. Big guys with bigger guns I can handle. Awkward teens raging with hormones." The woman made a face and inhaled sharply.

Coulson chuckled, "I can definitely understand that."

"There is one thing I wanted to ask about sir," Agent Morse started, a bit hesitant she continued, "Why did you want to know this?"

Coulson frowned, "What do you mean?"

Agent Morse paused, unsure of how to phrase it and instead backed out, "It doesn't matter. Morse out."

Coulson would have asked her more about she meant, but she was already gone before he could speak. He had a feeling he knew what she was getting at. Why was he so interested in this girl? In all honesty, he wasn't all too sure himself. He just knew he had to help her.

He hummed over the new-ish information about Skye. While he had read in her files before she came here days ago, he recalled her longest stay had been in California with a Mr Gavin Hyde and two other unnamed boys, he hadn't paid much attention to it. Not to mention, her profile didn't reveal any school related information.

Coulson glanced at the computer, Agent Morse had just sent him all of Skye's previous school records. Part of him felt like he was invading her privacy, but he was her guardian now and he did want to help her as best he could. Looking at her past would be a good place to start.

He started in first grade to see she struggled with reading and tended to be inattentive. He clicked on a footnote, it marked her for possible dyslexia, ODD and ADHD, but she was never tested for any. He would look into those more later on, for now he moved onto the next folders.

Agent Morse hadn't been lying when she said her grades from second to seventh grade were good. Her overall average was an 'A-' which was really good, especially considering how often to she moved and how much the footnotes claimed she struggled.

Coulson noticed several times in footnotes that the teachers said she caused too much trouble, she wasn't mature enough and lacked discipline. One note suggested she was ODD, Coulson didn't get those vibes, but he didn't have much experience in that arena.

A lot of notes said that despite her grades, she was always struggling in class or was simply not paying any attention at all. Her grades held up though which he took as a positive and victory for her. When Coulson got to her eighth grade year, he saw that her grades didn't just lower, they fell completely through the floor.

Judging from all the Missings and zeroes, he realized she never turned anything in. There were so many zeroes in the first three quarters. Coulson knew that it wasn't because she didn't know any information. She hardly turned in homework, projects or labs if the class called for it.

Her quizzes were poor, but not awful and the test were the only good thing she had. The tests were always 100's while everything else was either a zero because she didn't turn it in or a fifty because she did half the work. Coulson wondered why.

Coulson wanted to talk to her about this, but wasn't sure how well she would react to him asking. Though he doubted any other foster parents took an interest, that could have been for her benefit rather than theirs. He wanted her to enjoy her stay and didn't want to cause unnecessary strife.

Of course he knew they would be at odds, he just hoped it wouldn't be too terrible. He would have continued his search, but the faint sound of the garage door opening stopped him. May and Skye were back.

Coulson closed all the tabs and all but bolted out of his seat. In the back of his mind, he cheered that his girls were home.

"You think we got enough stuff," Melinda asked as the garage door closed.

It took Skye a moment to realize the woman was teasing her, "I don't know. You can still see out the back window."

Melinda tsked, "Knew we should have gotten the medium suitcase."

Skye chuckled as she climbed out of the car. After Skye's quick break down, Melinda had bought Skye a phone of her choice and put Phil and her own number in it. Once that was done, Melinda and Skye had a quick lunch at Subway in the mall food court before heading out to get Skye's uniform.

The school she was going to was a private one that required the students to wear a selection of different clothing. That hadn't taken long at all allowing the two of them to stop at Target and Walmart. Melinda had bought Skye so much stuff, it was unbelievable to both of them. Melinda had never been a huge spender, but today she had made an exception.

Why? On the one hand she knew that Skye did need this stuff and on the other she felt guilty for earlier. Since Melinda wasn't very good at expressing how she felt, she tried to make it up through actions. Getting Skye all this stuff, even though she told herself she shouldn't, had been her way of apologizing for upsetting her or worrying the teen.

Phil opened the door to find both Skye and Melinda standing outside the car. The garage door had just closed.

"Do not tell me you were waiting there for us," Melinda asked with thinly veiled amusement.

"Okay, I won't tell you I was here waiting," Phil answered with a half smile. "I was filing papers after the video conference when I heard the garage door. I wanted to see if you guys needed any help with bags and such."

Skye's shoulders sagged a little at the reminder of all the stuff she got. The feeling of guilt started to gnaw at her stomach. Sometimes it was just easier if foster parents were mean because then she wouldn't have to be blindsided.

Phil and Melinda were nice to her, had been nothing but nice to her and she was was still waiting for that moment when they would snap. Yet after what happened with Melinda today, Skye wasn't sure if they would snap soon. Maybe the two of them were just patient. Skye had to remind herself that all patience does eventually run out.

Melinda opening the trunk door pulled Skye from her thoughts. She moved back to help Melinda with Phil on her right. Phil's eyes widened at the amount of bags. He saw an assortment of grocery bags versus store bags. He gave a questioning glance to Melinda that had not gone unnoticed by Skye who felt the guilt gnaw at her some more.

Phil's questioning glance turned into a full on smile, "And you say you aren't much of a shopper."

Melinda rolled her eyes and made no verbal comment, yet Skye could see the amusement on her face.

Skye found Phil and Melinda as very odd, not that she would admit that to them out loud. Phil seemed to be a cross between a child in an adult body versus just a childish adult. Melinda was definitely the more serious of the two of them.

Skye could easily tell that Melinda liked to keep her emotions in check, but she hadn't been doing a good job of it. The teen wondered if it was because Melinda was simply not good at hiding her emotions, which Skye doubted, or that if it was because she was here.

One of Skye's former foster mothers never showed any emotion towards her at all. Skye had taken it as a blessing because the woman never got angry with her, though she was never pleased with anything about Skye. Skye was pulled from her thoughts as she helped Phil and Melinda with the bags and answered Phil's questions about the trip to the mall leaving out her almost breakdown. So far his favorite shirt had been the Captain America one.

Dinner came around all too quickly. Phil and Melinda had a thing for eating together at breakfast and dinner, though Melinda said it wouldn't be everyday. Most days, but some days people liked to eat alone which Skye was grateful for. Tonight they would eat together and Skye figured maybe tomorrow she could go eat by herself if she wanted to.

She was a little defensive about food since people liked to steal it off her plate if she wasn't paying attention. While Phil and Melinda hadn't shown any signs they would do such a thing, as could never be too careful. However something different happened.

At dinner, Phil brought a topic Skye wasn't prepared for.

"I spoke with the school counselor today," Phil started while they were eating dinner.

Skye raised an eyebrow, "How come?"

"Mostly to make sure you were enrolled and in the right classes, but there was a concern she brought up," Phil explained.

Melinda frowned, "What concern did she have?"

Phil hesitated for a moment. He glanced at Skye, an almost silent way of asking her permission to tell what they both knew. Skye didn't give an answer.

Instead she spoke, "My behavior is less than desired as far as I'm concerned. Not to mention my grades suck ass."

Phil frowned and told her, "She showed me that you were doing well until this last year all things considered."

Skye froze in her seat, suddenly her appetite was gone despite the hunger she still felt. Her grip around her fork tightened as cold fear and hot anger went through her. The fear was from her secret about her grades being discovered. It was incredibly doubtful that she or any counselor would know she hacked her grades, but it definitely concerned her.

Another concern was one she had tried to bury since her seventh foster home, but that was something she forced away from her mind. It couldn't be what he was talking about, though deep down she had a feeling it was exactly what he was getting at.

The anger she felt was directed at her foster parent named Hyde who made her life and her foster brothers a living nightmare. He was the reason she could hardly try in school or even hack to make her grades better. Her older foster brother said she fell in the category of depression there, but she firmly denied it. Nothing was wrong with her besides being an unwanted orphan.

Phil and Melinda watched this change in demeanor, how her entire face showed nothing, but barely restrained anger and a lot of pain. The Mayson's exchanged a concerned look, wondering what Skye would say next.

"All things considered," Skye asked struggling not to hiss, "Considering what? What else did she even say? That I have other reasons for concerns for their school?"

Phil and Melinda could sense the challenge in Skye then, the subject was a sore spot and they would have to tread carefully. While Phil was worried about her exploding, Melinda was worried about any signs she might display of being gifted. The girl was still an 084 and as far as everyone knew, she had no abilities. Perhaps she knew something and was growing concerned with their pushes.

Melinda doubted this, but she studied the girl with a more keen eye for anything unusual.

Phil shook his head, panic gripped him as he went on, "Just considering how often you moved and managed to keep up with your work."

Skye frowned, she didn't believe him, "What else did she say?"

"It was about your past school records, she gave me access to your school records and showed me what her concerns were," Phil said in what he hoped was an assuring tone, "When I looked at your files I saw footnotes that it was believed you have dyslexia, ADHD, ODD or a combination of either. Only you were never tested."

"Why bother looking at those records at all," Skye learned back in her chair, clearly aggravated, "Plus they don't know what they're talking about. I was rebellious and slow in school, who cares. There's nothing wrong with me."

"Of course nothing's wrong with you," Phil said, his tone even and calm despite the growing tension, "There were just some signs to indicate you were struggling. It came up often enough in the notes and reports, but you were never tested."

"Wait. You want me to be tested, is that it," Skye asked incredulously as she realized where the conversation was headed.

Skye felt like her heart was going to explode it was pounding so hard and fast. She could live with her mild to severe panic attacks she had from time to time, but this was something she couldn't stand. Who cares if she had trouble reading or paying attention? It didn't mean anything.

A word echoed in her mind that a few people had called her while in elementary school. It was a word she hated with every fiber of her being and it pierced her heart at the very thought of it. A short sentence, but it rocked her core.

 _You're such a retard_.

Skye forced herself to breathe normal.

"It wouldn't be a bad idea," Melinda said coming to Phil's aid, "If the notes were made repeatedly throughout your school career, then it was noticeable enough for concern. However if you are truly opposed, Phil and I won't force you to be tested. Though, I think it could help you."

Skye narrowed her eyes, "Help me? How the hell would that help me?"

"So you can get further help if you need it. There's nothing wrong with having them if you do and you may not and they misread it," Phil told her, his tone patient as ever, "We aren't trying to go against you Skye. We just want to help in whatever way we can."

Phil and Melinda could practically feel the anger radiating off of the teen, both were wondering when she would explode. However, when her eyes began to shimmer their concern grew.

She shook her head, said a quick 'I'm going upstairs' then disappeared leaving the Maysons alone to the unfinished meal. A door slam came a few moments later.

Phil put his face in his hand, he made a noise that was a mix between a sigh and groan as far as Melinda could tell. From observing Skye she wouldn't have pegged either ADHD or ODD, but the Dyslexia was the most plausible considering the few times Skye did actually read the prices, she had to start over each time.

"You probably should have had a strategy to go about that instead saying the counselor had a concern," Melinda scolded lightly.

Phil sighed heavily as he lowered his hands, "I didn't think that through well enough. We have to go after her."

"We should give her a minute to calm down, then we'll go up together," was Melinda's simple reply.

Phil reluctantly nodded at her words. Let the teenager upstairs calm down a bit while the two adults came up with a game plan of how to approach her.

Skye hid in her closet, she sat with her knees to her chest and buried in her arms as she cried. Years ago she had been tested for the disorders Phil had said minutes ago. She could remembered finding out and not being bothered by it, who cared if she couldn't read all that well or had problems with being impulsive?

However foster parents didn't want a child who misbehaved, Skye was just a rebel though. It wasn't because something was actually wrong with her. She just did things her own way, that wasn't bad. She could sit still, especially in front of a computer and she could focus if she really tried, so clearly she didn't have ADHD.

Skye took uneven breaths as she tried to calm down, but to no avail.

Reading was just hard. Skye refuses to accept that one, regardless of it was true or not. The letters would change when she looked at them, one minute it was a P then it turned out to be a B or maybe it was supposed to be a W, but was actually an M. That didn't mean she was dyslexic.

Skye lost controlled and released a sob that could be heard throughout the house. She calmed her mouth shut.

Phil and Melinda heard the cry and raced to action, each with a sense of panic and concern growing within them. Phil made it to Skye's room first, he didn't knock and just opened the door worried to see her hurt or in a panicked state. Melinda was at his side in an instant, both looking for the girl who wasn't in her room.

"Skye," Melinda called out, no answer.

Phil called out next, "Skye, where are you? Are you alright?"

Skye choked back a sob, they were coming to hurt her for running out like that. They were going to yell at her for this, hit her for this or who knows what else they would do. Why did she say anything? Why didn't she just say 'okay' and do whatever they said? Wouldn't it have been easier.

The closet door opened to Phil and Melinda with matching faces of concern. They both got onto their knees, each studying her, but not moving closer. Skye waited with baited breath wondering when they would grab her and drag her out of the closet.

Melinda studied her appearance, curled into a ball in a way to protect herself. Her eyes red rimmed and glossy with tear stained cheeks. Not to mention her red nose and flushed cheeks as she stared somewhat helplessly at Phil and Melinda, a bit of fear in those brown eyes.

"Skye, what's wrong," Melinda spoke first, her tone was soft her firm.

Skye wasn't sure what came over, but she knew she was going to speak.

"I'll be labeled a, a _retard_ ," Skye said hoarsely, she released a shuddering breath, "It's not, not true! There's, there's nothing wr-wrong with me."

"Never say that word again," Phil said sharply, "You are not and never were or will be a retard. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you Skye."

Skye wiped her tears away in vain and forced the words out, "That's all anyone says about me! I, I'm fine."

"Skye," Melinda said, her tone left no room for argument or deceit. That much Skye could tell.

Her choices were limited. She could just yell and send them away, but that might lead to them attacking her. She could tell the truth which could result in them also attacking her or calling the social workers to get her.

"Please," Skye begged hopelessly, "I'm, I'm sorry. I'll behave, I won't, I wont say anything else. Just, just please don't, don't send me away yet."

"We aren't going to send you away," Phil told her honestly.

Melinda knew she shouldn't have agreed, but she did anyway to reassure the girl, "Regardless of what happens, we won't send you away. Tell us what's wrong, let us help you."

Skye looked between the two of them, searching for some kind of sign that they were lying. She found none. More tears spilled down her cheeks as her chest ached.

"I was tested," Skye said, her expression more heartbreaking than before, "When, when foster parents found out, they, they almost immediately sent, sent me away." She took a breath, trying to steady herself, "They called me, they called me a retard because I struggled to, to read. They called me a demon, demon child because I never, never behaved. I had to, I had to hide it and, and I hacked, hacked my records."

Skye hadn't realized the Mayson's were moving closer to her until they were practically right in front of her. Not enough to be crowding, but close enough for her to feel trapped and more afraid.

She went on uneasily, "I hacked my records to, to hide the results."

"It's okay Skye," Phil told her gently, his blue eyes staring into hers.

"None, none of this is, is okay," Skye cried desperately, "Why, why aren't you angry?"

Phil answered her gently, "Because we understand where you're coming from. It's okay to be upset, but just because you have these doesn't mean there's something wrong with you. It just means you need a little extra help and that's okay."

"It also means you're the stronger for it," Melinda said with a weak smile, "let us help you Skye. It's our job to help you. Or at the very least find someone who can help you if we can't."

"We know you don't trust us and that's fair, you don't really knows us," Phil said, his tone disappointed, "But we will continue to prove to you that we do care and want the best for you."

Melinda held out her hand, "We can talk more about this tomorrow. Come back downstairs with us, I think a movie night would be good."

Phil nodded, "I hear Bridesmaids was good, really funny. Feel like joining us?"

Skye shrugged her shoulders with a half hearted smile, "I could use a laugh."

"You and me both kid," Phil said grinning, "I'll make the popcorn."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: As usual, thank you, everyone, for the follows, favorites and reviews. You guys are amazing! Also I realized the rating on this story was wrong, I thought it was set on T, but it says K+. Just for saftey, the rating is T.**

 **Summary: Agents Melinda May and Phil Coulson are put on a new assignment to look after an object of unknown origin, an 0-8-4. The only catch is this 0-8-4 is a person. A fourteen year old girl who's spent her life in the foster system is now in more danger than ever. A man beast is hunting her and SHIELD has to make sure that it doesn't get close to her. AU, MCU characters will be used.**

* * *

 **Chapter Nine**

 **Monday, September fifth 6:30 am**

The subject of Skye being tested again or about her struggles in general didn't come up again much to the teen's relief. The conversation as a whole had sent her for a whirlwind of emotion and caused her to have a weekend of sleeplessness. In her mind there was no way they could keep her after her outbursts, her panic attack and now these other issues resurfacing. Desperately she wanted to believe that they did just want to help her, but after everything she had experienced she just couldn't believe them.

She had fallen asleep around in the previous night only to wake up at three and not fall asleep again. It gave her a lot of time to think about the upcoming day. She was nervous to go to school, meeting new people used to be something she enjoyed until she realized she would never see them again. Making lasting friendships was not something she could ever count on.

Though it did give her a chance to reinvent herself until she found a version she liked. Thus far she wasn't sure what to think of this version, she hoped for the best though. With any luck she would make some friends of her own that she could keep in touch with. She had a pen pal once, but then her computer privileges were taken away and she never got the chance to speak to them again.

Skye glanced at her clock, it read in green numbers 6:27. In three minutes we alarm would go off, she sighed and turned the alarm off and climbed out of bed. Besides she wanted to be ready as soon as possible. She had worked hard the rest of the weekend to be a model child, she didn't want to cause Melinda and Phil any trouble. They had already done so much for her. She wanted to stay in their good graces until she left.

Skye went through her morning routine of brushing her hair and personal hygiene before changing into her uniform. Not once in her life had she ever had to wear a uniform to school. Of course there were dress codes she had to follow, but never a set uniform. The high school, Carter High or called Carter Academy depending on the person, had an almost collection of clothes that could be worn. Five different colored polos, a choice between khaki pants, shorts or skirts. Sperry shoes with white socks. It wasn't a terrible uniform, though Skye wouldn't know what would be considered a terrible uniform. Probably having to wear a blazer would be terrible she guessed.

Skye slipped on the white polo shirt and khaki pants deciding it would be the plainest one and have the least attention brought to her. Maybe having a uniform wouldn't be terrible, especially if it meant she could blend in easier. She looked at the school's insignia on the right side of her chest, it looked kind of like an eagle if she had to guess. It was stitched in with dark blue and silver. Once Skye was dressed, she grabbed her backpack which was already filled with notebooks and a pens. She made her way downstairs to find Melinda in the kitchen, Phil sitting at the counter. They were talking in hushed tones which was a clear sign that they didn't want her to hear any part of this conversation.

Melinda spotted Skye first, "Morning Skye."

Skye nodded, "Morning."

Phil turned around to smile at her, "Sleep alright?"

Skye shrugged her shoulders, taking a seat by him at the counter.

"Nervous about today," Melinda stated, though it rang like a question to Skye.

Of course she was nervous about going to school. Not once had she ever gone to a private school that would be filled with a bunch of snobby rich kids who never had to struggle to survive. The thought made her angry. Angry that all of them had it easy and she didn't. She was also afraid that she would get picked on for being an orphan like so many other kids had. Even at the _orphanage_ she was picked on for being an _orphan_. Not to mention Friday's conversation still had her frazzled.

"School and me aren't exactly friends," Skye started a little hesitant, "Public school you deal with a bunch of assholes while at private schools you deal with snobby assholes."

"Not always," Phil told her, ignoring her language.

He wasn't sure if he was supposed to reprimand the fourteen year old for her cursing or if that was the normal teenage thing. He hadn't really started cursing until junior year and even then it was scarce.

"At least give it a chance, you might like it," Phil went on.

Skye frowned at that, she didn't want to like it. If she liked it, then it would be harder for her to leave. There was no doubt in her mind that she would leave this place, she gave it two weeks.

"The school is a little different than others ones, but it what makes it unique is it's schedules," Phil told her after a moment on silence, "The counselor will explain more once you get there."

Skye winced at the mention of the counselor, but she just nodded silently.

* * *

Phil dropped Skye off at the front of the school and this place was _huge_. At first Skye hadn't thought this was the right area because the high school looked more like a small college with fancy buildings. She seriously wondered how much money it costs to keep this school running, not to mention how much did the people here _pay_ to attend here.

Were Phil and Melinda actually paying for her to go here? Why would they do that? It's not like she would staying here for very long, unless- No. Skye stopped those thoughts straight away. There was no way she would let herself think of the possibility of staying when it was nonexistent. All it would take is for her to screw up or do something they didn't like for her to be shipped away. Skye gripped her backpack strap tightly as she marched into the front building. When she got inside, she realized she had no idea where she was supposed to go or who she was supposed to talk to.

"Dammit," Skye muttered to herself.

Skye glanced around the lobby area, she noticed a few students around but didn't want to ask any of them. Instead, she would just figure it out and hope that the counselor's office was somewhere around here. After five minutes of walking down the white, green and blue hallways, Skye was annoyed and aggravated. She stopped on the side annoyed with herself and worried she might get lost. Phil told her that classes started at 8:00, it was 7:32 now which gave her time. Skye leaned back against the white wall, what a great way to start her morning.

"You alright," questioned a gentle voice, "You look annoyed."

Skye scoffed and looked at the source of the voice, "What gave it away?"

A teen boy with blue eyes chuckled, "Well your face is set in a scowl and you look ready to murder. Monday's are never easy."

In spite of herself, Skye grinned, "No they aren't. Any idea where the counselor's office is? I need to get my schedule."

The teen nodded, "Yeah sure. Right, this way. I'm Lincoln by the way."

Lincoln extended his hand to her which she took after a moment of hesitation, "I'm Skye."

"It's nice to meet you," Lincoln told her, his smile boyish, "You new here?"

"Yeah, obviously," Skye said curtly. Lincoln wasn't fazed, "Should have guessed that, but this place is pretty big."

Skye didn't say anything as she followed him through the mostly empty halls.

"Where you from," Lincoln asked curiously.

Skye glanced at him, "Nowhere special."

Lincoln nodded, his smile remained, "Nowhere special, I've heard good things about that place. Probably a lot better than where I'm from. Here we are, counselor Lance."

Skye stared at the plain wooden door for a moment. She hated counselors. In her mind, they were all people who didn't give a damn about anything, but meeting a quota or their paycheck. Fake was a good way to describe counselors, at least all the ones she had been to.

"Thank you," Skye told him. Lincoln flashed her another smile, "Anytime. I'll see you around."

Without another word, Lincoln left leaving Skye in front of the office door. Skye sighed, it was now or never she guessed. She knocked on the door and waited a few moments when the door opened to reveal a young woman with wavy hair.

"Hi," Skye greeted, "I'm supposed to meet with you about my schedule."

The woman nodded, "Yes Mary. It's nice to meet you. Call me Ms. Lance."

"Don't call me Mary," Skye said sharply then added as she took a seat, "Please."

Skye has spent a fair amount of time sitting before the desk with an authority figure behind it. Not an unusual place to find herself, not by a long shot. Though she tended to avoid counselors at all costs, though they were all fakes who didn't really care about the person they were talking to.

"Alright, what do you prefer to be called? Oh I have your schedule here and your student guide should be here in a little bit," Ms. Lance explained, "If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask me or your guide until you get comfortable. I'm sure you'll enjoy your time here."

"Call me Skye," said the teen as she stared at the folder.

There were two schedules inside, her attention was focused on the first which ordinary. The second one was interesting and she assumed it probably wasn't here, but she wasn't going to say it.

The counselor smiled, "That's a nice name. Well, Skye, I think you're going to enjoy your time here."

Skye shrugged her shoulders but didn't give a verbal reply. Ever since she was younger, she hated school with a burning passion. Kids were mean, she was slow at learning and already without a family. She was always alone, she was always set apart. The only reason she tried in school was that if she wanted a job, she'd need a degree. She couldn't get a degree if she didn't do well, so she tried hard in school. Not to mention she lost count of all the ones she got in trouble for not doing well or being disruptive in class. School was not a place she liked to be.

"Are you settling in okay," Ms. Lance asked as she handed Skye her schedule.

Skye nodded, but still did not speak. To the teen's surprise, the woman didn't push her to speak. She also remembered that it was the counselor who brought up that stuff to Phil. It was this stranger's fault for the outburst and difficult night and weekend.

"Well that's good, the Maysons seem like great people," commented Ms. Lance.

Skye still didn't speak. She had nothing to say.

Ms. Lance went on, "Mr Mayson told me he mentioned to you about your reports."

Skye's head snapped up like that, her eyes burned with anger, "Yeah. He mentioned that."

"I know you don't want to talk about it, but I think you should reconsider," said and Lance, "And before you respond, hear me out."

Skye glared furiously, but she kept her mouth shut.

The woman continued on, taking her silence as a prompt, "You've spent years trying to hide it and not receive the help you need."

"I don't need any help," hissed Skye as she clenched her fists angrily, "I can handle myself just fine and have been."

"Just because you can doesn't mean you should," replied Ms. Lance smoothly, she gave Skye a pointed look.

Skye bit her tongue, calling on whatever strength she had to not snap back at her.

Ms. Lance spoke again, "Once you have settled into the school, we will talk more about it. You cannot run from this, we just want to help you to be as successful as possible. But we can't do that if you don't let us."

Skye stiffened, she said coldly, "I don't need help from you or anyone else. Can I go now?"

Ms. Lance shook her head at that, "Not yet. Your student guide should be here soon."

A knock sounded on the door, three times and quick. "Ms. Lance? It's Simmons, are you busy," called a girl's voice from outside.

Ms. Lance smiled, "No, great timing come on in Jemma."

Skye looked over her shoulder to see a girl close to her age enter the room. She was wearing a white polo shirt and a khaki skirt. Her auburn hair cut off right below her shoulders, she had pale skin and brown eyes.

introduced her, "Jemma Simmons, meet-"

"Skye," answered the teen, "Just Skye is fine."

Simmons shook her hand with a bright smile, "A pleasure to meet you Skye. My name is Jemma Simmons, but everyone calls me Simmons."

"Are you from England," Skye asked lowering her hand.

Simmons nodded with a grin, "I am. I moved from the UK in sixth grade. About four years now."

"That's cool," Skye commented.

She had never met anyone from Britain, she knew people from Mexico and Canada, but no one from Britain. When Skye was younger, she wished she could travel all over the world. Meet new people, make short-lived friendships and then continue on her merry way. The idea was something she used to hold onto, but now it was just some child's lost dream.

"Thanks, come on I'll show you around," Simmons said, "goodbye Ms. Lance."

Ms. Lance waved to them, "See you later girls."

Skye gave the counselor a weak wave before shutting the door behind her and Simmons. Now the day was really going to get started, she didn't bother hoping that it would turn out well. Hope was like a balloon, the higher it goes the more likely it is to pop.

"So this high school is a bit weird," Simmons explained as they walked down the hall, "It's meant to guide their students to a career. Since I'm interested in biochemistry, I'm taking a science-based curriculum with the required social studies courses."

"Really, that's kind of awesome," Skye said honestly.

Simmons nodded, "Quite right. It said on your schedule that you had an interest in computers, so you're taking classes geared toward that career. You'd have classes such as coding or communications. Learning about software, hardware and so forth."

Skye was surprised to hear that. She remembered answering the question of what she wanted to do in the future, but she thought that was simply one of those get to know you questions. Not something that would actually be taken into consideration for something. What kind of school was this?

"Are all private schools like this," Skye asked walking beside Simmons.

Simons shook her head, "No. This academy isn't really like other private schools, or so I've been told."

Skye was prepared to question her further, but she was interrupted by a shout.

"Hey Simmons," called an accented voice.

The two girls turned around to see a teen with curled light brown hair and fair skin. He wore a navy blue polo and khaki pants.

"Hey Fitz," Simmons called happily, "Come over, I want you to meet someone."

The teen, Fitz made his way from his locker over to the girls.

Once he was before them, Simmons introduced them, "Fitz this is Skye. She's a new student here."

Fitz grinned at her, he extended his hand to her, "It's nice to meet you Skye."

She shook his hand, "And you too. What do you study here?"

"Engineering mostly, but I hope to move into rocket science later on," answered Fitz with a slight smile, "And what about you? Or are you doing the straight forwards?"

"Straight forwards," Skye questioned, eyebrow raised.

Simmons explained, "Typical high school, where you take everything. You have two schedules, one is straightforward, it allows you to wait on what you want to do and just decide as you get older. And the other is the one Fitz and I follow, where it gives you like a, like a jumpstart."

"You must not have given them an answer about it before," Fitz said, "Usually they ask which one you want before you arrive."

"Well it is almost a month into the school year, so I'm a bit behind," Skye replied, her tone turned slightly bitter.

While she definitely wanted to look into computers, she wasn't sure if that was a good idea. There was no telling how long she would be here, why start something she couldn't finish?

"I think I'll stick with the straight forwards," Skye said a bit dejected.

Fitz frowned, "Can I ask why? I mean it just seems like a waste, you could start early to see what you like and what you don't. Not to mention that if you don't like it, you can change it."

"Fitz, don't push her," Simmons admonished, "if she doesn't want to do it, she doesn't have to."

Fitz raised his hands in surrender, "Just curious is all."

Skye released a sigh, "I won't be staying long, so why start what I can't finish?"

"Do you have a computer," Simmons asked, a bit randomly in Skye's opinion.

She _had_ a computer that she wasn't allowed to keep. The nuns took it away saying she shouldn't have the privilege of the internet because of all the trouble she caused. The computer had been wiped, but everything Skye needed from it was downloaded onto her hard drive in her backpack at the Mayson's house.

"No, why," Skye questioned, eyebrow raised.

"You would be able to continue their courses online if you wanted to if you left the school," answered Simmons, "Perhaps we could convince one of the principals to give you one."

"They just give computers away," Skye said in shock.

Fitz nodded, "They have more than they do students. If you wanted one, you could have it."

"What kind of school is this," Skye asked, more to herself than to them. At her last school, if you took their computers, you could be arrested.

"One of the best," Simmons grinned, "Come on, let's take you on a tour."

* * *

"Are you sure I shouldn't call?"

"Coulson, she's fine."

"But what if she isn't? What if something happened after I dropped her off? What if she's hurt?"

"If something happened to Skye, Agent Morse would contact us."

"But she can't have eyes on Skye all the time."

"No, but all the other agents present would send their updates straight to Morse who would send them to us and Hill. Relax Phil."

Coulson released a sigh. For the past hour he had been going back and forth about all the things that could go wrong with Skye out of their sight. He wondered if this was how parents felt after sending their child to school for the first time. May had nearly chewed him out when he asked if he should go back and bring Skye home. That what if she didn't make any friends and others were mean to her. It was ridiculous.

"She's a big girl," May said, "She can take care of herself."

Coulson took a seat on the couch, "Maybe. Am I overinvested?"

May gave him a look that said all he needed to know.

Coulson released a sigh, "Sorry. I just…. I want her to be okay you know? She's a really sweet girl, I think she could do a lot of good for this world,that she could be something amazing."

"You think that about everyone," May commented.

Coulson merely shrugged, "Everyone Is capable of amazing and terrible things. I have a feeling Skye's going to do something important one day."

"Don't get too attached to her Phil," said May softly, "You know protocol. By the time we're done, Skye will be right back in the system and we won't have a clue as to where she is."

"Protocol be damned," said Coulson sharply, "You've read her file. She's been abandoned and hurt enough, how can we leave her to? After her near panic attack in the mall, or after the conversation we had Friday? She has literally been left to the wolves all her life. We can't just abandon her too."

May could only stare at Coulson in surprise and confusion. Sure she liked the girl, but they hadn't even had her for a week. It was clear that Coulson was already too close to her for some reason that May didn't understand. They had been on undercover assignments before and had gotten close to their target or protected, but Coulson never responded like this. May couldn't understand why this assignment was any different for him, but she planned to find out.

"Care to explain why you're already so attached to this girl," said May folding her arms over her chest.

Coulson blinked, "I don't know what you mean."

"Oh yes you do," May said sharply, "You gave her your Captain America cards, something you never let anyone so much as breathe on and now you're talking about not abandoning her even though once that man-beast is found, she will be right back in the system and we will lose all contact with her. Explain why you are so attached."

Coulson didn't speak for a long time. He had an answer, but he was unsure of how to explain it or put it into words that she would understand. Skye was more than a 0-8-4, she was a fourteen-year-old girl with too many scars from the world. He wanted to help her, he liked to help people and she was his next person in need. May wouldn't understand that though. Sure she helped people, but her ability to show attachment had been severely damaged. If she was attached to anyone anymore, Coulson could never tell, no one could.

"Because she matters," Coulson answered after a pregnant pause, "I intend to make sure she knows that at least one person will always be looking out for her."

May would have pressed him further, but she decided against it. He was stubborn as ever and she was not in the mood for a long-standing argument over it. However she would not let this go that easily, there was another reason why he was holding onto Skye, she just had to figure out what it was. May wouldn't keep the fight going, she had work to do to keep her cover.

"Alright," May said flatly, "In the meantime, we need to look at our jobs and other files."

Coulson took a breath, "Yeah, let's get to work."

 **China Mountains, Unknown Area**

An Asian woman sat at the table, she looked out at the hills below and sighed. Though the view of endless trees and beautiful flowers with a clear sky would never grow old, her mind and heart were heavy. It had been so long since she had peace and she feared that she would never find that peace again.

When heavy footsteps filled her ears, she spoke, "You have to learn to control your temper, otherwise I'll have to take you off of this."

The owner of the footsteps didn't reply straight away. The woman looked up at him, his fair skin looked a bit pink and his once warm brown eyes were frantic like a trapped animal. Gone was the man who she adored, in his place was only a shell. She could hardly blame him though. After all, she was nowhere near the same woman she was before.

"You," he started hesitant and annoyed, "You cannot do that."

She looked away. "I can and I will. The council already disagrees with the search as a whole, but the added trails of bodies are not helping them see our side." The man brought his hands to his face, he forced his anger aside despite its building up inside him. He has to stay calm, he had to stay calm.

"Just- I just need a little more time," he finally said lowering his hands, "I am so-so close to bringing her back."

The woman turned her head to look at him, her narrowed eyes softened as she met his gaze. As she thought of who he was speaking of. Many years ago, they both lost someone they held dear. Someone who they loved more than anything in this world, who they would die and kill for without a second thought.

"I know you are, but I still think it would be simpler for Gordon to locate her and bring her back," said the woman gently, though she knew why Gordon couldn't take on the task.

"The teleporting would be suspicious, he can't just take people out of thin air," replies the man simply, his brown hair blowing in the breeze.

The woman would have smiled at the sight, but she frowned, "So a trail of dead bodies is better? His way would be a lot cleaner."

Knowing he was close to losing this battle, he said quickly, "I-I won't kill anyone else, I promise, I just have to be the one to bring her back. I promised I would bring her home-"

"Then do so," interrupted the woman, she stood up and faced him completely, "Bring our daughter home Cal."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I'm sorry for the delay. Life has been pretty hectic and only recently had I finally been able to write more. To those who also follow either Never Let Go or Truth in Secret, they are undergoing edits and should be posted soon.**

 **Summary: Agents Melinda May and Phil Coulson are put on a new assignment to look after an object of unknown origin, an 0-8-4. The only catch is this 0-8-4 is a person. A fourteen year old girl who's spent her life in the foster system is now in more danger than ever. Aman beast is hunting her and SHIELD has to make sure that it doesn't get close to her. AU, MCU characters will be used.**

* * *

 **Chapter Ten**

 **Monday, September 5th**

Skye had never once in her life said she enjoyed school, but first time for everything. When she was younger, she did well because of what sister Helena had told her. That if she didn't do well, she would never have a future. No one wanted a stupid child and no one would help someone who couldn't help themselves. Not to mention College was a factor. Though at a young age she didn't understand why it was so important, only that it was and it costs money that she would never have.

When she was younger, school was incredibly hard because she could barely focus and the letters would always mix up in her head. It wasn't until she sat down with one of the kinder nuns, Sister Ann, that she was able to do better. It was because of the woman's tips and few study sessions Skye could keep up with her work and excel in school.

 _It's all a game. Once you know how to play, play it better than everyone else Mary and you'll succeed._

Skye grinned faintly at the woman's words that have yet to fail her. The other nuns pushed all the kids in school, hoping they would all do well enough to receive scholarships in the future if they weren't adopted. Skye was one of those kids they had to be worried about having a future at all. Skye was pulled out of her thoughts when the bell rang, signaling lunch.

Though hesitant, she took Simmons advice and decided to follow the career program with computers. She loved computers, and the classes here she actually enjoyed and wanted to do well in. Unfortunately she couldn't completely focus on the career path. So her mornings were all about computers, then lunch. On Monday and Wednesday, she had an hour of math and history while Tuesday and Thursdays she had science and literature. Friday's were undecided, free at the moment for either any class or extra help depending on if she was struggling in any classes.

As she had just started, that was yet to be determined. Skye grabbed her stuff and left the room without a word. She hadn't really talked to anyone besides Fitz and Simmons, Lincoln as well from the morning. He had been in one of her classes on hardware. There weren't many people in the computer area, she had at most 11 other students in a class. And considering how big this place was, it was surprising. Though Skye did recall that not as many students were in the career program.

"Hey Skye," greeted Simmons, "How did your morning classes go? Did you enjoy them? Think you'll stay with it?"

Skye loosened her grip on her strap, calming down from her initial shock. She wasn't expecting to see Simmons at all.

"Oh uh, yeah. I enjoyed it, I'm actually looking forward to classes tomorrow," Skye answered honestly.

Simmons beamed, "That's great. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Sadly you won't be able to do more classes like it in the afternoon though."

Skye shrugged, "I think I can manage."

"Excellent," Simmons said with a nod, "Would you like to sit with Fitz and our friends? I'm sure they'd love to meet you."

Skye blinked a few times before answering, "Uh sure. Yeah, that's fine."

Usually Skye tried to sit alone and far from people. Even though she's as a talkative person, she wasn't in the mood for dealing with either fake people she hated or real people she would have to leave. Simmons lead her to the cafeteria. It was 12:10 and lunch would end at 1:00, so Skye knew she just had to survive the next 50 minutes. Hopefully things wouldn't go too bad.

The cafeteria wasn't as loud as the lunch areas she was used to, which was surprising considering how many students were there. A sea of people met her gaze and she suddenly felt very sick. At her last school she only went to the cafeteria maybe three times when she desperately needed food. Skye followed closely behind Simmons, almost stepping on the back of her shoe a few times as they made their way to one of the round tables in the center of the large room. Skye spotted the table first with Fitz and a few others she didn't recognize.

"Ah there they are," Simmons said, "Right this way."

Skye took a quick breath and walked with Simmons to the table that Fitz was at.

"Hey Simmons, hey Skye," greeted Fitz with a grin.

Simmons said, "Hey guys, this is Skye. She just started today and is working on a computer career program."

Skye gave a meek wave, "Hi."

"Computers huh," said the brown-skinnedd boy, "That's pretty cool. The name's Trip."

"Trip is working towards a military- espionage- black ops type of career," informed Simmons.

"It's called the Specialist program," said the pale tanned skin boy beside Trip.

"That's Ward. He's a good guy, but a downright pain," Simmons said.

Ward put a hand on his chest, "You wound Sims."

"The two of them are seniors, come May and they'll be sent to the Academy," said Fitz in slight awe.

Skye raised an eyebrow, "The Academy?"

"It's for SH-" Fitz was cut off.

"It's like a college," interrupted Ward, his eyes slightly narrowed at Fitz before returning his attention to Skye, "We're pretty much the feeder school for it."

Skye found the interruption rude, but made no comment on it.

Ward and Trip shared a glance with each other. This school may have been similar to feeder school to the Academy, but only for some of the students here. All those students were selected, interviewed and went through an incredibly long process that determined whether or not the program was meant for them. If it was, they received a notification and a list of all the other students that was updated often. The people on that list knew about SHIELD and the program. Skye was not on that list.

Lincoln took a seat, "hey guys, what's up Skye?"

"Hey Lincoln," Skye waved as she took a seat with Simmons.

So far so good. Skye hopes this would go well. To her relief and slight joy, lunch had been really good. The food wasn't perfect, but good enough to finish and the conversation was great to listen to. She had to admit, she enjoyed this group and secretly hoped she could stay with them and get to know them. She knew she shouldn't want that, after all she only ever ends up leaving, but hope was a tricky thing.

Hope that she could stay and get to know them had started to build in her. Every time she got comfortable, she was taken away. It hurt like hell and she was really tired of it. Skye shook the thoughts away and focused on the group before her. The best thing she could do was enjoy it while it lasted, a good time was not likely to come her way again. Best to make the most of it.

* * *

Coulson had to admit he was not disappointed with the cover up job he was placed in. He would be a college professor at the local university, three classes a week he was 'required' to come in and teach. At first he had been worried that it would only say he was history teacher on his file, but he would actually get to go into the class and teach.

Though he wasn't a certified teacher or had a degree in history, he studied and knew enough from his classes in high school and the extra courses he took while working in SHIELD. Not to mention he was a complete history buff, there were hardly any historical facts he didn't know by heart. Some found it impressive others found it ridiculous.

May on the other hand was torn about her cover up job. According to her file she was a co-owner of a Dojo not to far away and would be required to do a class once a week for any age she chose. She loved fighting, she really did and had really missed being able to full on go at it, but she wasn't sure it was a good idea to have there. Though she was no longer easily triggered, she did have her moments. Each time she did recover quickly, but in the middle of a session or in a fight and she accidentally go too far was not something she wanted to happen.

"If you're really worried about it, we can contact Maria and have her move you," Coulson said beside her.

May looked at him uncertainly, "I don't know. Of all things why a dojo?"

"Because you are a kickass fighter," Coulson said with a smile, "You'd get that place into perfect shape in no time. Besides you used to love teaching others how to fight."

May shifted in her seat slightly, "That was before it happened. I don't want to have an episode in the middle of a session and accidentally break someone's arm."

Coulson made a face, "That would be unfortunate. However you were cleared for it, Dr Garner thinks you're okay, but you know yourself better."

"Do you think I'd be fine," May asked, her eyes focused on his.

Coulson smiled at her, that same confident smile he'd worn all these years, "Without a doubt."

May wished she had his confidence, but she was still unsure. She wouldn't focus on it now though. There were other matters to attend to, such as his other two jobs and their other 'children'.

"And what's your second job, the one where you go on _business_ trips," May asked switching gears.

Coulson would spend a majority of his time here watching Skye with May, however he would still be called out on assignments. Fury would keep it to a minimum so he could focus on the 0-8-4, but he was needed in the field at times. The supposed business trips he went on were merely a cover so he could leave without drawing suspicion from anyone.

Coulson turned a page in the file, "It looks like I go on business trips for an insurance company. Apparently a few years ago I had more time on my hands and I always wanted to teach, so I got my degree in history to start."

May smirked, "That does sound like something you would do."

Coulson chuckled, "Yeah I suppose. I start on Wednesday. When do you go into the dojo?"

May looked at the file, "Tomorrow morning."

"Want me to go wth you," Coulson questioned.

He knew May would be just fine going on her own, but he wants her to know he was there if she needed him. Or even if she didn't think she needed him, he was just there. Besides they would also be playing the part of a married couple, it would be a good idea to be seen together.

"Sure," was all May said on it, "Next order of business is the three other children we apparently have."

Coulson grinned, "Checked in with Hill, she said the files have been changed and our children have been added to it along with their backstories which Hill orchestrated."

"I still don't know what possessed you to say that," May said with the shake of her head.

"It just slipped, besides Hill thought it was hilarious and is using it as an excuse to come visit us more often than planned," said Coulson still grinning.

He smiled again, May had to admit she missed seeing him happy or really seeing him in general. He was her closest and most trusted friend after all.

"Uh huh, we better make sure we know most if not all of this," May said leaning back into the couch.

Coulson nodded, "Yeah. We have until 2:30, then I'm off to get Skye. Unless you want to get her today?"

May hesitated, "It'd be better if you did. She trusts you more."

Coulson raised an eyebrow, "I don't think she really trusts either of us more than the other. Besides you were the one who took her shopping and stopped her from having a slight panic attack. It'd be good for you to get her. Plus you'll be the one home with her more often since I go on those business trips."

"That's If I stay," commented May softly.

Once again, Coulson wore a confident grin, "Please. You aren't going anywhere and you know it."

"Oh really," said May incredulous, "And what has you so sure?"

"Besides liking the girl and wanting to help her, you enjoy my company too much," Coulson replied as he leaned back, "Face it. You're stuck."

May was severely tempted to respond childishly and stick her tongue out, but she was too dignified for that. Instead she opted to roll her eyes and return her concentration to her file. Though she could practically feel Coulson's smile beside her and she struggled to keep her own smile hidden.

* * *

When the school day ended, Skye found herself walking with her new 'friends' down the halls. Simmons was by far the nicest and sweetest person she had ever met, Fitz seemed like a pretty good guy and so was Trip. Ward was an interesting character, he seemed like the really tough guy with no emotions act going on. Lincoln she decided was a cinnamon roll, though he had the energy of that pink bunny from energizer.

Today was the first day of school that didn't actually suck, it went better than she had expected and for that she was grateful. Though she had some anxiety about tomorrow, whether or not she would feel same at the end of the day was debatable. All she could do was take it one day at a time and see. Skye waved goodbye to her friends, Fitzsimmons and Lincoln went to the bus line ups while Ward and Trip had already gone to their cars at the lot which apparently was a mile away.

Trip said it was part of their training, run a mile in the morning then a mile at the end of the day. She thought that was strange and cruel since it was only their program that had to do it. Trip had shrugged it off, after all the Specialist program was one of the harder ones and designed much like a Cadet program.

Skye readjusted her backpack and walked to the front yard where a good amount of students were waiting to be picked up. Some cars would be in the line on the side while others would walk over to where the cars were parked. Skye stood uncertainty at the fountain, not really in the mood to look around. What if they forgot her? Countless times Skye had been forgotten at school, waiting until seven, eight or once nine o'clock to be picked up. It was annoying and kind of sad to sit around waiting for people who didn't want to be bothered with you.

She took a seat on the fountain edge, letting the sound of people chattering and the splashing water help her zone out. She would have stayed like that for several minutes if not for the buzzing in her back pocket. It startled her and caused a brief moment of panic, but then she remembered she had a cell phone. An actual cell phone. It wasn't as fancy as the Stark phone, but it was definitely nice. Skye could browse the internet, play games, watch tv, text and call and even Skype people. It was more than she ever had before. She pulled out the phone to see May was calling.

She answered, "Hello?"

"Hey, just parked. Where are you," asked May.

Skye released a breath, at least May didn't sound angry, "Uh by the fountain."

"Behind the flood of students no doubt," May said lightly.

"Yeah, there's a lot of students," Skye answered with a frown.

She really didn't like crowds or being surrounded by a large group of people. May made a face at the tone of Skye's voice. She had been sitting in the car for the past twenty waiting for the students to come out and see Skye. Not that she minded the wait, it was nice to have some quiet. However when she didn't see Skye right away, she got a little nervous, though she would never admit that. Listening to Skye now eased her worry, but the way Skye spoke about all the students didn't sit well with her. May had suspected Skye wouldn't like crowds, but she hadn't been sure.

"Not a fan of crowds I take it," May said trough the phone.

Skye nodded, "Not really. Where'd you park?"

"Stay seated, I'm headed your way so you don't have to go through the crowd, unless would that embarrass you," said May as she stood beside the car, "since teenagers are easily embarrassed."

Skye took a breath, "No you don't have to come get me. That's too much work, I can just move through-"

"Too late, I'm already out the car. Besides I'd been in the car for too long anyway," May replied, "Sit tight. I'll see you at the fountain."

With that the line went dead. Skye stared at the phone for what felt like a long time. First, May had realized Skye's dislike of crowds. Second, May was coming over to her so she wouldn't have to go through the crowd alone. Third, May hadn't forgotten her. Four, May was almost to her. May waved at Skye getting the younger girl's attention. Skye stood from her spot and met May at the edge of the sidewalk closest to the cars.

"Hey," greeted May, "How are you doing?"

Skye shrugged, "Not bad. You didn't have to walk over to get me, I want to be as little of a bother as possible."

May looked down at Skye, "Nothing you do is a bother. You aren't burden, I promise."

Skye didn't say anything to that. Melinda sounded reassuring, but Skye wasn't sure if she should believe her. After all, people lie all the time without a problem. Who was to say Melinda wasn't lying right now?

"Come on, let's get going," Melinda said, "And I want to hear about your first day. The good and the bad."

Skye raised an eyebrow, "How come?"

"I'm curious to know what you did all day," answered May as they both entered the car.

Skye took a seat, "But why? No other foster parent cares."

"I'm no other foster parent," May said, just a hint of a grin on her face.

"I'm figuring that out," Skye muttered before saying in a normal voice, "Well it started with me trying to find the counselors office. The place is so big I couldn't find anything…"

By the time Melinda and Skye got back to the house, Skye had finished telling her tale about school and they had gone through the rest of ride relatively silent besides the radio. It was a nice car ride, Skye had to admit she enjoyed the ride with Melinda just a little more than she did with Phil. Phil had also asked about her day while Melinda disappeared for a little. She returned when Skye was halfway through retelling her school day with snacks for all. Some apple slices and peanut butter for all, which Skye really enjoyed.

Luckily Skye didn't have homework tonight. Her teachers wanted her to get settled in first, they were made aware of her 'situation' and seemed understanding. It was a response Skye hadn't expected. Most teachers told her she just had to get the assignments in by the end of the week or whatever close deadlines and offered very little help. It was annoying at most and sad at the least. She did well enough in school because it was drilled into her the only way she would ever get to College was through perfect grades. It was a hard task, but Skye managed it well enough.

Though she would never admit this, in sixth grade she learned how to hack into just about any website without being seen. From there she found all the answer sheets she would ever need or if she was on the lazier side, she would hack her school's website and change grades. Not just for herself though, for others as well just to be on the safe side and avoid detection.

Skye wasn't proud of it, but she feared being beaten or going without food more. Though towards the end of eighth grade she stopped trying in school and used her hacking to keep her afloat. Just enough to pass and move onto the next grade really was all she needed.

"What did you guys do all day," Skye asked when she was done talking about her day.

She never spent time talking about her day and how it was or anything of the sort. It was kind of nice to say what she did and say that she had a good time.

"I made some PowerPoints for my classes and travel arrangements for the next two months, mainly to get ahead and make sure I'd be on top of things," answered Phil simply.

Skye asked, "You teach College right?"

Phil nodded.

"So," Skye started, "Why do you need to travel?"

"For my second, well really first job," Phil explained, "I work for an insurance company and they need me to go all over for meetings and making deals and really boring stuff."

"And that doesn't get stressful, seems like a lot," commented Skye as she watched the man.

Phil shrugged, "Keeps me busy and active, but it's enjoyable."

Skye, satisfied with that answer turned to Melinda, "What about you Mrs, I mean Melinda?"

Melinda answered after sipping some water, "Well I stopped by the dojo to make sure everything was in order. Session planning, paychecks and paperwork really."

Skye asked curiously, "What does your dojo teach?"

"Tae kwon do, karate, jujitsu and a few other forms," answered Melinda.

Skye was interested martial arts, she had wanted to take classes before, but could never afford it or had the time. The only thing Skye really knew how to do was a good bit of parkour thanks to her time with Robbie and she could throw a punch, also thanks to Robbie. He was the big brother she never had, he taught her just about everything she needed to know in order to survive on the streets. She was sad to part ways with him, but it was for the better. This way neither of them or any other kids would fall into the hands of their twisted foster father. Skye forced herself not to reaction to the thought of him.

She looked at Melinda and asked, "How much do the sessions cost?"

"Depends, anywhere from 25-50 dollars a session," answered Melinda, "The plans are cheaper. You'd be able to go for free if interested."

Skye's eyes widened, "Free?"

Melinda nodded, "Since I co-own it and you're my ward, you would go for free to any of the classes. You mentioned earlier you had an interest in martial arts, I planned to offer you a session or teach you myself, but wanted you to get settled first."

Skye could only blink in surprise. It took a few moments for her to compose herself, but the smile on her face was enough for Melinda. It was one of the few genuine and happy smiles Melinda had seen on the young girl's face. Melinda wished the teen would smile more.

The older woman couldn't help to return the infectious grin, "You can start next week. This way you can find a routine for school and see how it balances out, sound like a plan?"

Skye nodded, her excitement growing, "Oh my God yes! I don't know what to say. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Melinda said, "Do you have any idea which form you want to learn?"

Skye shook her head, "Nope. Any one will do."

Melinda thought for a moment, "Depends. I'll take you to the dojo and they'll do evaluation. Right now I'd say to place you in Tae kwon do. Krav Maga might be good for you, though probably too rigid."

Skye shrugged, "I'll do whatever."

"How come you want to learn," Phil asked curiously.

"To protect myself," Skye said a bit hesitant, "This way if someone tries to hurt me, I'll be ready."

It was reasonable answer, but Melinda knew there was more to it than that. From the look she got from Coulson, she could tell he thought there was more to. In Skye's file there were mentions of neglect and abuse in other homes, but they were glossed over. Melinda could tell Skye was blamed for something that wasn't her fault, she made a mental note of it and eventually wrote it down. Skye just wanted to be able to protect herself, the agents could understand that.

"In this world it's always good to know how to defend yourself," Melinda said honestly, "Just don't go searching for fights."

Skye could only nod.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Nanowrimo started, I'm 5,000 words behind and literally forgot FF existed until yesterday. Making edits and updating what I can. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter and to all the Americans, have a happy Thanksgiving tomorrow.**

 **Summary: Agents Melinda May and Phil Coulson are put on a new assignment to look after an object of unknown origin, an 0-8-4. The only catch is this 0-8-4 is a person. A fourteen year old girl who's spent her life in the foster system is now in more danger than ever. A man beast is hunting her and SHIELD has to make sure that it doesn't get close to her. AU, MCU characters will be used.**

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven**

 **September 10 Saturday 2011**

"Remember if you want to leave, all you have to do is send our safe word and I'll come get you," Melinda said as she stood by Skye in the parking lot.

Yesterday Simmons had invited Skye to join her and the boys to hang out for a couple of hours at the city mall. Skye was hesitant to agree, but against her better judgment decided to come and was slowly regretting that decision. She had never been invited to functions like this and was in new territory. Melinda had been able to tell Skye was uncertain and told her that if she wanted to leave at anytime, felt uncomfortable or anything, all she had to do was send a text to Melinda and the woman would come.

"If they ask why you're leaving, just say there was an emergency of some kind," Melinda went on, "I'll stay in the area so you won't have to wait long."

"You don't have to do this, I can just wait it out," Skye said, her eyes on her feet.

Melinda placed a hand on Skye's shoulder and to her surprise, the young teen didn't flinch away.

"Like I keep saying, I don't have to, but I want to," replied Melinda.

Skye looked at the woman then, "I appreciate it. I know it looks like I'm ungrateful, but-"

"You don't have to explain," Melinda said softly, "Now go on, have a good time and be a teenager. Just don't do anything crazy alright?"

Skye offered her a small smile, "Alright. Bye Melinda."

Melinda nodded before walking back to her car. Simmons and her friends were already inside waiting for her, Melinda had seen them already, but kept Skye a little longer to go over her escape route. It was important the young teen know that she wasn't trapped here and she could leave at anytime if she wanted to.

If she wanted to go, she could send Melinda quick text of their safe word, Hula girl, or call Melinda and say, "Have you seen my hula girl anywhere?"

Either would let Melinda know that Skye was ready to leave and wouldn't draw any attention to her. Skye took a breath before walking inside to meet her friends. Fitz wore a simple blue t-shirt and blue jeans, surprisingly looking the most casual of the group. Simmons was dressed in a sweater with a white collar and nicer pants.

"Hey Skye, glad you could make it," Lincoln said with a wave.

He wore a white shirt, blue hoodie the hood up and jeans, the style suited him as far as Skye was concerned.

Skye nodded, "Yeah, glad I could to."

Trip nodded, "Your Mom making sure you good?"

Skye felt her throat tighten at the word Mom. Something she would never have.

"Uh foster parent," Skye corrected softly.

No one said anything at her revelation, though the pity glances didn't go unnoticed by Skye. Except Ward's was more understanding than pity, which peaked her curiosity.

"Well," Simmons said, "Where would you like to go first?"

Skye frowned, "It's your birthday celebration, we should go wherever you want."

"If Simmons had it her way we'd be at the science museum by now," Ward said with a grin as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "Besides, her real birthday celebration won't be until later. This is just us hanging."

Skye raised a brow, "How come?"

Simmons shifted, her demeanor unsure, "Well I like to celebrate with my relatives first then with friends. My dad won't be back for another two weeks, so my actual birthday party of sorts won't be until after."

Skye nodded in understanding, "That's sweet."

Trip spoke next, "So, where are we headed first?"

"Laser tag," Lincoln said without hesitation.

A chorus of yes's filled the air. Skye remained quiet, she had heard of laser tag, but had never been. Robbie had tried to sneak her there once, but once Hyde caught on, it ended badly for the both of them. The idea of laser tag now made her nervous, even though the idea sounded fun.

"What do you say girl," Trip asked her.

Skye pursed her lips, "I've never been."

"Never," Ward asked surprised, "Really?"

Skye shook her head, "Nope."

"Well that settles it, we're going," Fitz said, "I'm not very good at it, but it is definitely a fun activity."

Simmons nodded, "I have a feeling you'll love it Skye. Plus with the six f us, we can have even teams. Fitz and I, Ward and Trip, Skye and Lincoln."

Lincoln grinned, "Sweet. Let's get going."

The group of teens headed through the mall, occasionally stopping to do some brief window shopping. The walk was quick enough, Skye had to say she enjoyed the laughter and conversation. It flowed easily enough and she felt like a regular teen, a feeling she wasn't familiar with. All too soon they were in the laser tag area, there wasn't anyone else around so they just went in and waited for an employee to get them.

Skye had to admit she was a little nervous when they were brought into a dark room, though she liked that her white socks glowed. Fitz said it was because of the black light above. After a brief explanation and some instructions, they each put on their vests and studied there shooter. It had different modes, blaster, sniper or rapid fire. Skye bit her lip as she followed the others into the dark room that lit up in a few places and had smoke all around. Her chest tightened as she followed Lincoln to a corner, while their friends went elsewhere. Skye leaned back against the wall.

"Alright so we can either make a plan or wing it," Lincoln said, "We'll split up and shoot like crazy."

Skye's eyes widened at splitting up, but she reminded herself that it was safe and she would be fine on her own.

"Okay," Skye said.

Lincoln sent her a comforting grin, "Don't worry. It's really fun once you get into-"

Lincoln didn't get the chance to finish his sentence when his vest lit up and made a weird noise. Skye jumped in surprise and Lincoln turned around to see Trip with his blaster up.

 _The noise sounded like a firecracker, but it was much louder and more sudden._

Lincoln made an inappropriate gesture with his hand as Trip moved away laughing loudly. Lincoln took off then leaving Skye alone, the sound of the vests filling her ears along with footsteps.

 _Scattered footsteps were all over, she was tripping on her own feet until an older kid picked her up and ran through the smokey hall. The smell of burning wood hurting her nose._

Her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest, it wasn't as dark as the cellar in her previous foster home, but it was close enough to make her anxious.

 _She curled into herself against the cement wall, the air sending chills throughout her body as she struggled to stay warm._

What if she couldn't get out? What if the others leave her? Forget about her? Would she ever escape? She gripped the blaster tighter in her hands, forcing air into her lungs as the questions raced through her mind. The sounds of the lasers firing over head along with a few flashes briefly brought her back to the present. Skye forced herself to breathe normal, but it did nothing to settle her heart rate and before she knew it, her breathing turned shallow.

 _She was hiding behind a couch, two other kids huddled next to her as they cried silently in terror. Her grip tightened around them, around Matt and Donnie. How could she protect them, how could she protect herself?_

Ward had appeared then and shot her, the vest came alive and she gasped in surprise shrinking back. Ward laughed at first, but he paused when he noticed she wasn't responding. A choking sound escaped her as she started to get lower to the ground.

"Skye you okay," Ward asked lowering his blaster.

He couldn't see her all that well, but he knew the face of a scared kid. It was an expression he was all to familiar with.

"I, I," Skye stuttered glancing around, "I'm okay. Just uh, just uh."

Skye glanced around again, her eyes blinking rapidly and her breathing labored. Her chest hurt as she slipped further down the wall, now only half standing with Ward in front of her.

"Skye listen," Ward said as gently as he could, "There's nothing to be afraid of, okay? These can't hurt you and the only thing here in the dark is your friends."

"I don't have friends," Skye whispered.

Ward touched his chest in mock offense, "I'm wounded." He paused realizing that probably wasn't the smart thing to do, "We're your friends. And we won't hurt you. Come on, we'll have an alliance and take out everyone else."

Skye swallowed, "I don't, I don't think that's-" Skye was cut off by Trip appearing beside her, shooting her vest.

 _Jasper shrieked after the sudden pop, red liquid quickly staining his favorite NASA shirt. She could feel his weight on top of her, felt the blood seep into her own shirt._

The younger girl jumped in surprise. Her heart skipping a beat before the pounding continued to get worse, her breathing turning slightly more ragged.

"Trip, not the time," Ward said coldly.

Trip raised a brow, "We're playing laser tag dude. How is it not the time?"

"Skye's a bit out of it," Ward said simply.

Trip looked at his new friend, "Sorry girl, didn't meant to shake you up."

"It's uh, it's fine," Skye tried to say, but her throat tightened.

Suddenly it seemed a lot darker than it had before and all she wanted to do was run away. Where could she go? It wasn't like the doors would just open, they had to wait until the time was up. Her heart started pounding harder, hard enough for it to hurt and before she knew it, her eyes were burning as tears filled them. Why was she so weak? There was nothing to be afraid of.

"Come on girl stay with me," Trip said in front of her.

When had he gotten so close?

"Do you want us to get the person to let us leave," Trip asked her curiosity.

Skye shook her head, the words not coming out. Recovering in here she would have to do, there was no way they would let her live this down. Having to leave in the middle of their laser fight, especially after paying to come here and now she was ruining their fun? She had to tough it out, she couldn't be this weak.

"Okay, uh oh I got it! Here, hold up your blaster… yeah point st me.. and pull," Trip instructed.

It felt heavy in her hands and wrong. She could hear the cries echoing in her ears. She forced from her mind as best she could.

Skye pulled the trigger and his vest lit up, Trip laughed, "See? All good right. Once the light goes out, hit me again."

Skye waited for the lights to fade and fired again, his vest lit yo and made the strange sound. Once again, Trip laughed. Skye found herself smiling lightly as a tear slipped down her cheek, she was too embarrassed to wipe it away.

"See it's all good," Trip reassured hsr, "Come on girl, follow me."

Trip held out his hand to her and hesitantly she took it. Skye let him pull her up a ramp and to the side where the others were engrossed in firefight. Skye tensed as they paused their attacks to look at her. None of them moved, they stood there. Skye anticipated the part where they all fired at her or taunted her for being so afraid.

"Fire when ready," Trip told her.

Skye glanced at him, "What?"

Trip gestured to the group of teens, "They won't shoot at you until you get the hang of it, so fire when ready."

Skye hesitated, there must be more to it than that. However no one said anything else. Skye lifted her blaster and fired, it took a few times, but she managed to hit Fitz-Simmons, Lincoln and Ward. When the lights faded, she fired again and this time a laugh escaped her. The fear had slipped away and before she knew it, she was jogging throughout the room, up and down ramps and through the mazes during and being firing on. All too quickly the game ended, their laughter not stopping until they made it back into the light.

Skye had never been more relieved to see a bright and crowded place in her life. No one questioned her about what happened, but it was decided they wouldn't go back there for a while. Skye had to admit if she wouldn't have panicked, she would have really enjoyed laser tag. Lincoln suggested they head to the bowling alley and arcade next door. No one opposed and Skye knew that couldn't really cause her any trouble. She had been to an arcade once before with Robbie and had a great time. Though bowling was not something she had experience with.

Her and Trip were partnered this time, Simmons and Lincoln while Ward and Fitz were together. Skye started out rocky, but eventually got the hang of it. Simmons and Lincoln ended up winning the round, but Skye was pleased she and Trip were second in terms of combined scores. Fitz struggled and even ended up using the bumpers towards the end because of all the gutter balls.

Skye wasn't sure how many rounds they played, but it was at least seven. Soon they were all sitting in the food court each with their own tray of food. Trip and Lincoln had gotten Chinese, Skye and Ward had gone for pizza while Fitz-Simmons were enjoying hamburgers and fries. It was easy for Skye to forget about everything that had happened to her in the past. Where she was no longer the orphan freak Mary Sue, but just foster kid Skye. It was a nice change of pace.

* * *

May would be lying if she said she wasn't a little worried about Skye, or really a lot worried. Two days ago, May found Skye crying in the kitchen at 3 in the morning because of some nightmares. What exactly the nightmares were about was beyond May. The only coherent thing May could get out of Skye was a name, Mr Hyde. That was a foster parent Skye had been with back in March before being removed from his care due to neglect and abuse.

The very thought of anyone mistreating Skye was enough to make May's blood boil which was ridiculous considering May knew growing attached to this girl was a problem. Not to mention May had planned to leave soon, but Coulson was right. There was no way she could leave now, not after getting to know Skye and be there when she was most vulnerable. Skye was so used to people leaving, how could May leave her so soon as well? The answer was simple, she really couldn't leave her.

May sighed as she leaned back against the car headrest, what was she going to do? She would have to think more on it later. Skye appeared at the mall entrance doors, walking with her new friends towards May's car. Based on her body language and smile, May could tell that Skye was enjoying herself. This sent a wave of relief through the shield agent. Skye climbed into the car, waved goodbye to her friends before closing the door.

"So, how was it," May asked turning the car on.

Skye grinned, "It was actually a lot of fun. It didn't start out great because of a mild attack, but they were really helpful and understanding about it."

"Are you okay now, what caused it," May asked with a frown.

Skye glanced away, "We were playing laser tag. It was dark and the blaster sounds reminded me of times I'd rather forget. It didn't last long, Ward was the most help then. After we went to the arcade and bowling, you would not believe what happened at the alley."

Skye paused, her breath caught as she struggled and failed not to laugh at the memory. May wanted this moment to be burned into her memory, the sight of this broken girl smiling like no tomorrow and laughing like she was truly happy. How she wished that this would continue for the young girl. May tried to push those thoughts away, but she just couldn't do it. This young girl was already becoming too important to her.

May would define this as the moment she finally understood what Coulson had said days ago. About how he was already attached to her. Now May understood why and what he meant. Nothing would happen to Skye, not just because of the mission, but because they both genuinely cared about her. By the time Melinda pulled into the driveway, Skye's story was over and Phil had yet to return home. Most likely he was having a meeting at the university he taught at or was meeting with some other agents about an upcoming mission.

When Melinda saw the note on the fridge, she realized where Phil was. After speaking with Skye's social worker and Agent Morse, it was decided Skye would need to see a therapist. Mr Peterson had been trying to get Skye to go talk to one, he spoke with several foster parents about it, but none of them were actually willing to do so. The young teen needed the sessions if she was going to start healing.

"Skye" Melinda called to the teen sitting on the couch, "Do you remember Mr Peterson talking to you about a therapist?"

Skye looked over at Melinda with a scowl on her face, "I remember. Why, is he asking you and Phil to bring me to one?"

Melinda nodded, "He thinks it will be best for you. Your other foster parents never brought you which he says was a mistake."

Skye shrugged, her expression bitter, "I don't need a therapist."

"You don't think so," Melinda said walking over to Skye.

Though Skye had been for the most part easy, both Phil and Melinda were waiting for the other shoe to drop. The reports on Skye depicted her as this demon child, but based on their interactions she was just a rebellious teen. She didn't like being told what to do, when to do it or how to do it. The young woman also hated when anyone touched her personal items, something Phil would not do again.

That had resulted in a tough conversation for both Phil and Skye. Phil because he had to be tough on her, Skye because she was afraid Phil would show his 'true' side. Skye was convinced that Phil and Melinda were still pretending to care, or in her own words 'give a damn' about her. It was only in the moments where Skye was completely vulnerable that she would trust them, otherwise she was cautious and acted nonchalant for the most part.

"No," Skye answered with a raised chin, "I don't need to sit in some old person's office as they ask me about how I'm feeling and tell me nothing useful."

Melinda raised an eyebrow, "Therapists do more than ask questions about feelings. They help you work out problems and find the solution you can accomplish."

Skye glanced away, "I don't want to go."

"I can understand why," Melinda admitted gently, "You don't want someone telling you what to do about your issues. You don't want to even tell them what's wrong because you don't want to admit it. Well you can only pull off that act for so long before it catches up to you and slowly consumes you."

"You sound like you have experience," Skye whispered.

Melinda replied simply a weak smile on her face, "In a manner of speaking. Phil and I won't force you to go, but we think you should at least go to one session. And if you really hate it, we won't bring you back."

Skye narrowed her eyes slightly at Melinda, curious about the offer. It seemed like a good deal, but she was hesitant to take it. Therapists always bothered Skye. It wasn't like they actually cared about their patients, they just wanted money for talking about another person's problems.

"Fine," Skye said a little too cold for Melinda's liking.

Melinda wondered if she correct the girl or scold her in some way, but she decided to let this one go. It was a subtle way for Skye to release her frustration, so Melinda would leave it at that.

"Next Saturday, 2 o'clock," Melinda said standing from her seat.

Skye didn't saying anything, she only nodded once before turning her attention to the tv.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Ya'll I could have sworn I updated this story in December, but apparently not. At least now I'm ahead on writing this story. Anyway, Happy New Year everyone! We have a special guest this chapter, she has decided to grace us with her presence.**

 **Summary: Agents Melinda May and Phil Coulson are put on a new assignment to look after an object of unknown origin, an 0-8-4. The only catch is this 0-8-4 is a person. A fourteen year old girl who's spent her life in the foster system is now in more danger than ever. A man beast is hunting her and SHIELD has to make sure that it doesn't get close to her. AU, MCU characters will be used.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve**

 **September 16 Friday 2011**

Days passed and Skye found herself falling into a routine. Not particularly mundane, but it was far from exciting though she couldn't complain about it really. Phil and Melinda were nice to her, they didn't yell at her or touch her or fight about anything that she knew of. The only real incident was when she shouted at Phil for touching her stuff.

She had acted out of line, her bag was on the floor in the hall and he was moving it to her room. He wasn't going through her stuff like she originally thought, which made her feel kind of guilty for the yelling. Phil was calm with her though, explained himself and apologized for touching her stuff without permission. However, he also didn't let her get away with raising her voice at him.

No punishment this time, but if she yelled at him or Melinda, there would be a consequence. Skye didn't want to know what sort of consequence he was referring to. Though neither Melinda or Phil appeared violent, it was only a matter of time before they turned sour.

At school she was doing well without hacking her grades or cheating, she was actually trying and had become top of her program because of the effort and interest. Not to mention she had friends she actually liked and who seemed to like her. She had spent the better part of the day last week with Simmons, Lincoln, Trip, Ward and Fitz. It was honestly the most fun Skye had, had in a long time.

She grinned at the memories, how she was able to act like a regular teenager for awhile. Where she was no longer the orphan Mary Sue, the lost or broken girl without a home. For a few hours she was just Skye, a carefree and goofy teenager. A girl who had friends, ate too much junk food and all sorts of activities that brought a smile to her face.

Currently Skye was reminiscing the events while barely paying attention to the tv. Phil was sitting on the opposite side of the couch engrossed in the tv show that was playing while Melinda was sitting at the breakfast nook doing some paperwork. It was peaceful and nice, then the doorbell rang scaring the shit out of Skye.

Phil lifted his head at that, "Either of you expecting someone?"

Skye shook her head as Melinda said, "No."

Melinda stood up from her seat, "I'll get it."

Skye settled back into the couch, but Phil was concerned. He knew Hill would come to check on them once in awhile, but she told them she would notify them before coming. Whoever was at the door could be someone as harmless as a Girl Scout, but considering the delicacy of the mission, Phil was slightly on edge. The two agents had spoken before about what they would do if attacked and the plan to get Skye out.

Phil was preparing himself for the worst, but was confident no one at the door was coming to harm him. He watched Melinda disappear from sight, he wouldn't be able to hear her unless she purposefully talked louder so he would have to wait. If it wasn't a friendly, he would be ready to help in the fight that could follow.

May had an ICER in her pants, hidden by her shirt, but she had a hand on it as she peaked through the peephole. The person standing there was not someone she expected to see. May opened the door, surprise still on her face.

"Natasha," May said keeping the door mostly closed so neither Coulson nor Skye would hear her, "What are you doing here?"

Natasha Romanoff, a former Russian spy called Black Widow and currently one of the top agents at SHIELD. She was young woman in her mid twenties with red hair, fair skin complexion and stunning green eyes. For months May could recall being an SO of sorts to the Russian spy, but that had been so long ago. The last time May had seen Natasha was right after Bahrain. Why she was here was beyond Melinda May, it wasn't an unwelcome surprise, but some warning would have been nice.

Natasha replied in an almost monotone voice, "Well when I couldn't contact Coulson or find you in your hideout, I figured something might have happened. Neither of you could be reached, plus it didn't say anywhere you had a mission. My search was cut short by Hill who gave me a brief rundown."

May raised an eyebrow, "Why did you need to contact us?"

"Mainly for another assignment, consulting and such, but after Hill's rundown, I had to come see for myself," Natasha said with a slight grin, "A human 0-8-4 is crazy. Have you seen anything interesting so far?"

May shook her head, "So far she's completely normal, nothing strange has happened."

"Huh. Also are we just going to stand here, or will we go inside," Natasha asked as she ran fingers through her dark red hair. Usually her hair was lighter in color and shorter, but May supposed it was a nice change.

"Did Hill tell you about your part," May asked softly.

Natasha raised an eyebrow, "My part? In what, this mission? I didn't realize I had one."

May sighed with a slightly annoyed expression, "Damn. Alright, we'll go in, but you have to pretend that Coulson and I were your adopted parents."

It was Natasha's turn to look surprised. Out of all the undercover parts she played, an adopted child had never been one of them. Oddly enough this part felt like it would be the hardest she would ever have to play. Yet part of her was kind of interested in it.

Incredulously she asked, "Okay. Any reason?"

"Coulson told Skye that we had three other children, you were one of them, along with Clint and Maria," May explained fairly quickly.

Natasha tilted her head to the side, "Why would he tell her that?"

"Skye asked and he just blurted it out," May answered slightly amused, "I'll send you your backstory later, but the gist is you were trafficked from Russia and rescued here in America. Placed in the foster system and we took you in when you were around fourteen. Might want to let your accent show a bit more. According to the story, you didn't start becoming fluent in English until you were sixteen/ seventeen."

"Got it," Natasha said with a nod, "Do I call you Mom and Dad or no?"

The idea made Natasha uncomfortable since she never had a mom or Dad to call hers, so it would be strange saying the words as titles. Even though May and Coulson fit the roles well enough, or as close as they could give the circumstances, she supposed it wasn't that hard to imagine. Though if anything, Fury was more like a father figure considering how often she saw him and spoke with him. Clint and Maria made sense since they trained together a lot. Natasha swallowed, she refocused on May.

May shook her head, "You don't have to. Just remember the overview I told you and don't say anything about SHIELD. Skye doesn't know anything about SHIELD or her status as 0-8-4."

Natasha nodded again, "Okay."

May stepped aside to allow Natasha in as she called, "Phil, Skye we have company."

May lead Natasha to the living room where Coulson and Skye were seated. Needless to say that when Coulson saw Natasha he was beyond surprised.

"Natasha," Coulson said standing from his seat, "We weren't expecting to see you here. It's good to see you."

Natasha grinned at him, "You too old man."

Phil rolled his eyes, his grin shining, "I don't know who you're calling old, I'm hip."

"A broken hip maybe," Natasha smirked.

Skye struggled to hide her laugh. The attention shifted to her then. Natasha studied the teen while Skye studied her as well. The ex assassin didn't think the girl looked dangerous, but then again most looks were deceiving. If anything, Skye looked smaller than she thought a fourteen year old should appear. Though Natasha couldn't judge her for that considering when she was in the program, she was one of the smallest ones, and she turned out to be the best. The brown eyes gave Natasha pause, they looked slightly familiar and filled with pain.

"Skye this is Natasha," May introduced, "Natasha, meet Skye."

"It's nice to meet you Skye," Natasha said with a grin, she let her Russian accent show slightly, "I've heard a lot about you."

Skye nodded, a cautious expression on her face, "Likewise. Phil and Melinda have told me about you."

"Good things I hope," Natasha said eyeing her 'parents.'

Phil shrugged, "Mostly good things. What brings you by?"

Natasha explained easily, "I was in the neighborhood and thought I would swing by. Not to mention I had been waiting to come over to meet Skye. But you guys insisted on letting her get settled in first, so I waited a little more than two weeks."

Melinda nodded along, "You did. I'm impressed since you never were patient."

"Still isn't," Phil commented with a grin.

Natasha rolled her eyes, but she wore a good natured smile. Falling into the role of foster/adopted daughter was easy enough for Natasha to do. It was just a bit of method acting. Though in all honesty she just acted like her usual self with them, a little carefree and sarcastic. The only difference would be her having to throw in the words Mom or Dad. Well Ma and Da.

"So, how long will you be in town," Melinda asked as Natasha sat down on the chair closer to the tv.

The red head shrugged, "Not long, probably two or three days at most. Maria wanted to join me, but she got caught up in work. Same with Clint, but rest assured they'll be by soon enough."

Natasha glanced at Skye then to see her growing discomfort, May noticed it to. Skye knew that staying with foster parents who already had kids never ended well. At least not for her. The real children always bothered her and blamed everything on her. Most of it was never her fault, but no one believed her. However the Mayson's children were already out of the house, so it didn't really matter. Though having the surprise visit would be awkward as far as Skye was concerned.

"So Skye tell me about yourself," Natasha said leaning forward in her sitting position.

Skye blinked, "Not much to tell." Natasha shrugged, "Share what you wish. We can do those ice breaker games they place at summer camps or we volunteer information. For example, I was a ballet dancer. Did it for most of my life."

"Um, well i'm a skateboarder," Skye said which was true.

Natasha grinned, "Does May- ma let you skate?"

The slip up was barely noticed by Skye who chalked it up to hesitance to call the woman by the title around her. It was the way Simmons was hesitant to talk about her parents or how Fitz didn't want to talk about his mom around her. Because she didn't have one, and no one wanted to make her uncomfortable with it. Phil and Melinda knew the slip up was because she was so used to calling May, May, and calling her mom was strange. Ma seemed like a middle ground and simple cover up.

"I haven't been able to, I don't have a board anymore since it broke," Skye explained a bit sadly.

"Too bad it broke," Natasha said, she glanced at Phil, "If he won't get you a new one I will. What else do you do? I hear you like computers."

Skye nodded, "You don't need to do that. And I do. Coding specifically."

"Interesting, you'd get along with my… friend Anthony," Natasha commented flashing May and Coulson a knowing look.

Coulson had nodded in a agreement, "That's true. He would probably love to have someone else to talk to about computers with."

"Perhaps one day I'll bring him over, in the meantime I'm starving," Natasha leaning back in her chair.

Phil suggested, "Why don't we all go out? We could try out that new Italian restaurant."

"I like Italian," Skye said grinning.

Natasha grinned, "I'm up for it."

Melinda sighed, she was not an eat out person, "Alright, guess that settles it,"

* * *

Dinner had gone on without a hitch, Natasha and Skye got along swimmingly which was nice for Phil and Melinda to see. It wasn't until the three of them were alone around midnight that they understood how much Natasha actually liked Skye. The subject of the conversation had fallen asleep two hours before and went upstairs to sleep.

"I like her, anyone gives her trouble then they better expect trouble," Natasha said taking a sip of alcohol, "Though I am tempted to pay her previous foster parents."

May could understand that, "I agree, but that's not something we can do."

Natasha glanced at her, "Yeah because they're dead. The past five or six of them are. Except for two, Hyde and Marcus I think was her most recent home. Though he's in jail. Are you guys helping in that search at all?"

Coulson shook his head, "Nope. We're only watching her."

Natasha nodded a bit absently, "I'll offer what help I can on the search. From what I can tell, Skye seems human. Why do they think she's on 0-8-4? Something in her blood?"

"We don't know," May answered honestly, "She was found as infant in China, after a massacre. An entire village died protecting her from this man beast, who only recently had it turned up on her radar again after all these years. If anyone did see what she was capable of, they're dead by now."

Natasha hummed over this information, that sounded even more familiar to her, but she couldn't place it. She searched her memory wondering why when it hit her.

"The Hunan province," said Natasha with a knowing look, "I remember now. I recognize the story and her eyes."

"Her eyes," May questioned confused.

Natasha nodded, "Clint and I had just returned from a mission when we crossed paths with some agents who had just come from the Hunan province, they looked awful and covered in blood. Agent Avery held a child, an infant who couldn't have been more than a year or two with these odd eyes."

"Her eyes are just brown," Coulson commented.

Natasha shook her head, "If you look closer, you'll see what I mean. Not just the pain in them, but something else. Any idea about her parents?"

Coulson answered, "Nothing concrete. One of the agents with Avery claimed that her mother was native to the village, but had no proof of it."

"I'll do some digging on them," Natasha said with a nod, "Whatever happened to them and if there's any connection from them to her 0-8-4 status."

May leaned back in her chair and sighed, "Any information about her at this point would be useful. The only thing we do know for certain is nothing."

Natasha said nothing to that. She glanced at the stairs, her thoughts on the orphan who was asleep upstairs. Of all the crazy things to happen to an infant now teenage girl, this was not something Natasha had expected. There was something about Skye that Natasha was drawn too. The girl was closed off sure, but she was also warm to those she interacted with. It was a balance the teen possessed, Natasha could respect that ability.

"Well she's in good hands," commented Natasha as she looked back at her 'parents'.

Coulson offered her a grin, "She's in a lot of good hands. How have you been doing?"

Natasha smirked, "The same old way. Can't say there's anything new to report. Whereas I leave you two alone for a few months and now you're married with a child."

Coulson and May laughed lightly at that. Now Coulson laughing was expected, but Natasha had to admit she was surprised to hear the light chuckle come from May. Natasha had to force herself not to look at May in confusion at seeing her shoulders relax, her smile genuine and eyes with a bit of a shimmer to them.

Bahrain had left her mentor so scarred and damaged that getting any reaction was blessing, this was a miracle. It was nice and odd at once. The assassin wouldn't complain though, seeing any remainder of her old mentor was a good thing. When Coulson had a second alone with Natasha, he had told her that Skye had brought out this new side of May. She was still herself, but a small change had occurred in the woman. A welcomed one nonetheless.

Natasha set her drink down and stood up, "I'll be back. Off to do a patrol."

The atmosphere turned serious.

Coulson nodded, "Good idea. The hunt for the manbeast has been less than successful and we don't need any surprises here."

"Any idea how he found her before," Natasha questioned curiously.

May replied, "No idea. It's assumed he hacked his way in to find the homes, but he's never arrived to a house when she was there except the last one."

"He was there," Natasha asked in surprise.

"He was reported there," Coulson said doubtfully, "However with all the police cars and fire trucks, he was driven away. The most likely reason he didn't get Skye from the hospital was to avoid the people and cameras."

"Whoever or whatever is after her, does not want to be seen," May commented.

"Which makes sense so there isn't a way to find him, but the trail of bodies isn't helping," Coulson pointed out.

Natasha raised an eyebrow, "Any ideas for why the manbeast is killing all these people?"

Coulson shook his head, "Only theories, none of them concrete."

Natasha nodded in understanding. She said nothing else as she exited the room, the sound of the door opening and closing filled their ears. The surprise visit from the agent was a pleasant one, it would also help May and Coulson be on the look for the next few days while she remained here.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hello Agents! This chapter jumps around a bit, but I couldn't think of anything too important between the two separate time slots that needed to be mentioned. Besides I wanted to focus on Skye and Natasha for a bit, see some big sister Nat there cause why not. There will be a look into Skye's therapy visit later on, but for now all we know is that she went. I am hitting a wall though on ideas, so if there is anything specific you guys want to see by all means send me stuff! Anyhoo, hope you guys enjoy the chapter!**

 **Summary: Agents Melinda May and Phil Coulson are put on a new assignment to look after an object of unknown origin, an 0-8-4. The only catch is this 0-8-4 is a person. A fourteen year old girl who's spent her life in the foster system is now in more danger than ever. A man beast is hunting her and SHIELD has to make sure that it doesn't get close to her. AU, MCU characters will be used.**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen**

 **September 17th 2011**

Skye knew she was being childish, she was well aware that her behavior was not okay by any standard, but she couldn't help it. The Maysons would have to drag her to the therapist office, there was no way she was going. No way. Sitting on her bed, typing on her computer and pretending the world didn't exist, that was more her speed.

Her bedroom door was locked, Phil knew either him or Melinda could break it down, but that would likely freak Skye out which they didn't want to do. Even though neither of them were too pleased by this display, it was a bittersweet moment for the pair. The fact that Skye was willing to challenge them like this showed she was getting more comfortable with them, at least that's what the parent books said.

Phil wanted to see it as a positive thing, it proved they were doing a good job. However it was Melinda who reminded him that Skye getting too comfortable with them meant that when she inevitably left, it would hurt just a bit more than the others. Phil hadn't been able to reply to that.

"We can't leave her there," Phil said with a sigh, "And I doubt reverse psychology would work in this case."

Melinda shook her head, "No, I don't think that would work." She knocked on the door again, "Skye, I know you can hear me. You remember what we talked about last week?"

Skye called back, "I change my mind. I'm not going, no way. I refuse."

Phil sighed to himself, he called to Skye, "One session. That's all we ask."

Phil really didn't want to force Skye to go, but he was growing more concerned about her. She needed some form of outlet, at least while she was under their care to work through all this stuff. One session would have more benefit than doing nothing.

Skye bit her lip at that. It was nice they were asking, she was worried what would happen when they decided asking was no longer working. However she needed to push them, their dark side would come one way or another. Besides, she did not want to go to a therapist. It didn't matter how good they were or how much they thought she needed it, she knew it was a waste of time.

Natasha, who had been standing at the top of the stairs, was amused by the situation at hand. Seeing May and Coulson in a domestic setting had been surreal enough, but seeing them deal with a teenage girl who didn't want to do as she was told was even more of shock. It almost seemed to her as if she were looking into a parallel universe.

"Maybe I can help," Natasha said walking over to them, "Give us a second."

May and Coulson exchanged a glance, wondering if it would be a good idea to let Natasha the hot headed spy talk sense into this rebellious teenager. The former russian spy could practically feel their thoughts as she stood their, her smile was wide nonetheless. It wasn't like either of them had another option besides breaking the poor girl's door down or just not making her go to the therapist's office.

"Go for it," Phil said, he stepped away from the door.

Melinda sighed, she wasn't thrilled about this situation, but she supposed desperate times called for desperate measures.

The two adults stepped away allowing Natasha access to the door. When Phil and Melinda were out of earshot, Natasha knocked on the door. She remembered Clint and May ganging up on her, years ago, forcing her to speak to Dr Garner about the trauma she had experienced in the Red Room. At first she was angry they made her go, but now she was grateful. Maybe she could convince Skye it wouldn't be so bad. For whatever reason, Natasha knew this kid was going to be a soft spot.

"Skye, it's Natasha."

Skye lifted her head from her laptop, her attention on the closed door. Embarrassment briefly washed over Skye, she liked Natasha and thought she was probably the coolest adult out there. This display definitely wouldn't put her in Natasha's good graces, giving her adopted parents trouble they probably didn't need. Skye's gut twisted for a moment as she waited for threats or guilt tripping to come, the other shoe was going to drop soon.

"I hated the idea of therapy," Natasha explained, she leaned against the door, "They _made_ me go. I was so, so angry with them for that. Some stranger was supposed to tell me how to deal with all the crap I went through? No way."

Skye leaned forward on her bed, her interest peaked.

"No one could help me, hell I didn't want anyone to help me. I didn't need help because I was fine... sound familiar," Natasha said with a wry smile, "That first session that lasted a little more than an hour showed me how not okay I was. I don't know your story and you don't know mine, but having someone to scream at, cry to, just to talk about all the messed up shit going on… it can be a relieving experience."

Skye found herself standing in front of her door, she asked, "It worked for you?"

Natasha grinned at the closeness of Skye's voice, "My problems weren't solved after one talk, but I learned that having an unbiased opinion, wasn't the worst thing in the world. You might learn something."

"Maybe," Skye said in a soft voice.

"You never know until you try," Natasha said, "So come on. Let's try."

Skye swallowed at those words. It wouldn't kill her to go see the therapist, besides Phil and Melinda only asked for one session. After this first one she would never have to go again. She took a deep breath, steeled herself an unlocked the door. Wordlessly, she opened the door to see Natasha leaning against the frame an impressed smile on her face.

"Ready," Natasha asked.

Skye puffed her cheeks, she shook her head no in response.

Natasha still grinned, "That's okay, one step at a time."

* * *

 **September 21st 2011 Wednesday**

Skye knew she was screwed. There was no way she would be able to stay with the Mayson's after this. It didn't matter what she said or what she would do, they would send her away. Defeat seemed to settle over her as she leaned back in the chair outside of the Principal's office. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest, she could feel an ache with each passing beat.

Now she had been to the Dean of Discipline, the Nuns, Assistant Principals, the Principals and even to police stations for her actions, but this time was different. This time she was with foster parents she kind of liked and while they had given her passes before, there was no way they would let this slide. It wasn't her fault, he was verbally attacking her along with Fitzsimmons and when he got too close, she punched him in the face. That definitely made him mad.

He may have been an athlete, but he didn't know how to fight well. Skye wasn't much better, she's had only two lessons from Melinda that focused on footwork and getting away from someone's attack. Mostly dodging and evading. It came in handy today considering his wild swings, though Skye had enough practice dodging angry foster parents before. However she usually didn't punch back, today she did using Robbie's old advice.

The guy got some hits on her that would definitely leave bruises, but she knew his busted lip would take awhile to heal along with some other injuries she had gifted him. He may have been bigger, but Skye was faster and attacked like she did during her underground fights. It had taken three teachers, Ward and Trip to pull her off of him and it took Fitzsimmons to calm her down.

Skye glanced at the door, she couldn't hear what was being said. The Principal was talking to him first along with his parents who happened to be nearby. The Principal had called Skye's home, but she didn't know who answered. However she half expected both of them to show up which would have been worse. Her eyes started to burn with tears she did not want to shed, she told herself it was because of the bruise on her right temple and the one that would likely show up on her stomach. Skye shuddered.

"Don't look so defeated, from I heard you kicked his ass."

Skye nearly jumped out of her skin. Her gaze was brought up to see the young woman with fiery red hair. It had been a few days since Natasha had come to stay with Phil and Melinda for a bit, but she would be leaving this Friday. Skye tried to act like that didn't upset her, but she couldn't hide it all that well. Her concerns about the Maysons being like other foster homes was nearly gone, but enough was still there to make her wary.

Though Natasha was a bit different. She had a strong feeling she wouldn't do anything to hurt her, except maybe get annoyed with her for giving her parents such a hard time. Yet whenever Skye did seem to be giving them trouble, Natasha usually looked amused and would barely hide her smirks.

"Natasha," Skye said in surprise, "What, what are you doing here?"

She took a seat beside Skye, "I was hanging out at home when the phone rang. I answered and said I would come."

Skye visibly swallowed, "Are Phil and Melinda, are they that mad they wouldn't come?"

"No, they don't know yet," Natasha replied, she frowned at Skye, "Why would you think they would be so mad that they wouldn't come?"

Skye looked away and shrugged, "I don't know. Some foster parents don't show up and when they do, they are through the roof angry."

Natasha replied, "Look Skye, you don't have to be worried about that stuff with them."

"I attacked him first," Skye whispered, "Melinda told me if I was going to learn, I couldn't go picking fights."

Natasha hacked the footage after the call, the other kid may not have thrown a punch, but he was way too close in a threatening way. She recalled watching the video, there wasn't any audio though she could whatever he was saying was not good. Not to mention, he did grab Skye's wrist before she attack him.

"He grabbed you first," Natasha replied, "You acted in self defense. Neither Phil nor Melinda will mad about that."

"Were you ever worried, about what they would do if you made them angry or upset," Skye in a voice smaller than a mouse.

Natasha remembered her story that May had showed her the other night, the full extent of the fictional version that matched enough of the real version for her to relate to. At the Red Room, she was terrified to make any sort of mistake. There was no room for error there, any error could get you killed by the other Widows or by the teachers.

Natasha inhaled, "I was at first. My old… guardians you could say were not fond of any missteps. One error, you paid the price."

Skye looked up at Natasha with glossy eyes, "Really? They hurt you too?"

"They did," Natasha answered honestly, "Melinda and Phil, they never did. Not intentionally. I remember Ma teaching me how to fight." Natasha laughed at the memory of the 'tiny Asian woman' wiping the floor with her on her first official day of SHIELD training. She shook her head, "That woman was tough."

Skye wore a weak smile at that, "Yeah, she's hard to dodge."

"I promise you Skye, they won't hurt you or send you away for this," Natasha assured her, even putting a hand on Skye's shoulder.

To Skye's credit, she didn't flinch away, "How do you know?"

This took Natasha a few moments to answer. She remembered all the stuff she did when she first arrived to SHIELD, how she was a literal nightmare to anyone who came by. In all honesty, she was waiting for them to turn her over to Vladimir, back to the Red Room, the KGB or when they would just kill her. It had been May who told her she wasn't going anywhere first, then Coulson, Barton and eventually Fury.

She looked down at Skye and briefly no longer saw a fourteen year old girl, rather she saw a small child who was terrified of what was going to happen when she faced the two people who were supposed to be her protectors. In her brown eyes, Natasha could see her own green ones that were filled with fear before the Red Room beat it out of her.

"Because of all the stunts I pulled that were much worse than getting into one fight at school," Natasha answered, "They'll be upset because they can't condone you fighting or encourage that behavior, but they will be proud of you for sticking up for yourself and your friends."

"Will you tell them," Skye asked in a whisper.

"It can be our secret," Natasha replied, "But I do think you should let them know what happened. So they can hear it in your own words."

Skye supposed that was fair, but she really didn't want to tell them at all. What if Natasha was wrong? What if they did send her away for this?

The door opened allowing the teenager, whose name Skye didn't even remember, and his parents to walk out. They all looked at Skye, but said nothing before walking away. That had mostly to do with the threatening gaze Natasha was wearing, one she typically reserved for those she was about to kill when she had been an assassin. Clint had told her it was terrifying.

Natasha had a feeling that kid was going to get an unpleasant visitor some time this evening.

"Ready," Natasha said standing.

Skye followed her lead, "I guess."

"Don't worry, just tell the truth about what happened and we'll get ice cream after."

Natasha walked in with Skye behind her, her nerves still shaking her core.

The meeting was not as horrible as Skye thought it would be. Natasha had been ready to defend Skye, even opened with her reasoning of why Skye should not be in trouble. Though her defense was hardly needed considering the principal was actually on her side. The video of what happened had been played to review and while Skye did throw the first punch, he had grabbed her first.

Her reaction, a bit aggressive, was an appropriate response for someone who felt threatened. He let her off with a warning, much to Skye's relief. Lunch was just about to start, but the Principal decided to give her the rest of the day off which was fine with Skye. She would text the others later to let them know what happened, they wouldn't believe it and she could hardly believe it either. Natasha slung her arm over Skye's shoulder, it reminded the younger girl of Robbie.

"Not too bad huh," said Natasha grinning.

Skye nodded, "Not too bad. We can still get ice cream though, right?"

Natasha smirked, "Obviously. Come on, let's go. Here's my car."

Skye gaped, "You have a Corvette, for real?"

Robbie and Gabe would have lost their minds if they saw this car, especially Robbie. Skye could practically hear him spouting off all kinds of facts about this car, the make, model and could even tell what engine was there based on the sound of the revving. He was a show off like that.

"Oh yeah, climb in," Natasha said beeping the car, "We have some adventures to go on."

* * *

When May got the text from Natasha that said "Hanging with Skye, be back later :)" she was not sure what stories she should be prepared for. Though Natasha had helped teach recruits a handful of times, none of them had been under the age of twenty one and the infamous Black Widow did not like children. May just hoped whatever Natasha had planned with Skye would not involve anything too dangerous or illegal, that would just give her another headache.

May texted back, 'Don't do anything illegal.'

Natasha's reply was instant, 'I make no promises.' May didn't bother to respond, she simply shook her head.

Keeping up the undercover act was getting easier for May, but it was taking more and more energy not to fall into a routine, to not let this become a habit. Getting used to leaving with not only one, but two other people was not something she wanted. Especially when as soon as this was over, she would have to go back to being by herself. Though that was what she wanted, she knew despite herself she would miss the energy Skye brought to house and the comfort having Coulson so close.

It hadn't been a month yet, but Melinda knew that when this assignment did eventually end, she could admit that it would be a sad occasion. Not to mention how much it would likely hurt Skye in the long run. May leaned back in her chair, she was sitting in the office at 'her' dojo looking over some paperwork along with the progress reports she had on Skye. Skye was adamant on not coming to the dojo yet for official classes or to work with others, which May didn't necessarily mind, but she thought Skye might benefit from being in a real class. However that was a bridge she knew she would have to cross later and further down the line.

May looked back at some work when there was a knock on her door. She looked up to see a young man wearing a t-shirt and jeans, he had bright brown eyes that were almost too excited to be considered normal. Yet they looked familiar.

"Come in," May said as she studied the man, "How may I help you?"

The man smiled, "Hi, my name is Cal and I wanted to ask about the classes you offer here?"


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Alright, another fun chapter here with the Maysons and Natasha. We'll get some action next chapter where Cal and his wife make an appearance a little too close to home.**

 **Summary: Agents Melinda May and Phil Coulson are put on a new assignment to look after an object of unknown origin, an 0-8-4. The only catch is this 0-8-4 is a person. A fourteen year old girl who's spent her life in the foster system is now in more danger than ever. A man beast is hunting her and SHIELD has to make sure that it doesn't get close to her. AU, MCU characters will be used.**

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

"What about the classes," May asked as the man walked to her desk, "We offer various styles of martial arts along with levels and ages."

The man grinned, "Excellent. My wife and I wanted to take some self defense classes after an unfortunate event at a bar. Do you have any beginner classes for adults? Oh and classes for teenagers, my daughter I know would love to come to a class as well."

May nodded, "We do. The next class would be on Saturday for adults while teenage classes are on weekdays. I can give you a schedule or you can check our website and sign up for them."

"Could I have a schedule, I'm a bit more old school," Cal said with a strange look.

May went through her desk and pulled out a schedule, "Here you go. Any other questions?"

"Uh yes, your teen classes," Cal started, "Could have a schedule for that as well? For my daughter."

May nodded, she pulled out the schedule and handed it to him wordlessly.

For a moment he looked it over, a grin on his face, "Thank you. I know she's been asking to go to classes, but we haven't been able to find the right place. You have kids?"

"Yes," May said simple and vague.

Cal's expression turned a bit sad, "Children are great, but they grow up so fast. Though don't get me started when you lose sight of them for one moment and suddenly…" He shook his head.

May could almost relate to that based on the time she lost sight of Skye during those first few days. However she made no comment, he seemed to be an oversharer and she was not up for speaking with him any longer than she had to.

"Always good to keep an eye on the kids or teens," his eyes locked with May's, "One blink later and they're gone."

May's brow furrowed for a moment at the intense stare and the look in his eye, "Something you're trying to say?"

He shook his head, "Nothing, just that this world is dangerous and I know these classes will definitely help for my family to protect themselves."

May nodded with a narrowed gaze, "Anything else?"

The man looked elated as he shook his head, "No, thank you."

Without another word, the man quickly left with the schedule in hand and a skip in his step. May knew he was lying, she didn't know about which part exactly, but he was not here for the reasons he gave. Not to mention how he lingered on the topic of losing a child. Was he trying to tell her something? Warn her? Was he the one after her girl? Why was he really here?

Questions raced through her mind, but she forced them aside. It was nothing, just a weird man asking questions about classes. It was nothing, it had to be. Tonight when she went home, she would have to bring this up to Coulson and Natasha, get their thoughts on it. Though, perhaps she was over analyzing in it. Truth is she was just worried about this man beast after Skye.

There hadn't been any new news on it, even though May knew she and Coulson could protect Skye, not too mention with the infamous Black Widow here Skye was safe. Yet, May couldn't stop the fear anymore. Before it was just mild concern and making sure the mission was successful, but now, now it felt like real fear. It reminded her of the little girl she couldn't save all those years ago, May felt her fists clench at her sides at the memory. Skye would not be like that girl, May vowed she would keep her safe.

* * *

It was eleven at night, Skye and Natasha still had yet to return. May and Coulson both knew that nothing would really happen to them, obviously Natasha would protect Skye and if something were seriously wrong, she would send a message. While May appeared collected, she was growing more restless and worried.

Coulson was already three sheets to the wind worried that something horrible had happened to Skye and to Natasha. He had called Skye five times, no answer. He called Natasha seven times, no answer. That terrified him because if Natasha wasn't answering it meant she was on a heist or in danger. She wouldn't take Skye on a heist, so they must be danger.

"Coulson, stop pacing," May said when she couldn't take the back and forth.

Coulson stopped, he looked at her with wide eyes, "I know nothing really phases you, but this should be a bit more concerning. What if that man beast took Skye and crossed off Natasha? What if they were in a car crash, abandoned in some ditch and dying while we sit here? What if they're being tortured by some of our enemies? What if one of Natasha's enemies found them?"

"Okay, stop," May said rising to her feet, "If something were seriously wrong, Natasha would have sent a beacon to alert her of their location. I'm sure they're fine and likely just distracted."

"Or they're in serious danger," Coulson said looking at the still closed door, he sighed, "Regardless, they're grounded when they come back."

May was ready to agree, but paused when she realized what he said. Of course she knew that he was almost completely absorbed into this foster parent persona, but what caught her off guard was her near quickness to agree with him. It was almost amusing to her. Try as she might, she couldn't fight the amused smile.

Coulson noticed May's expressions switch from annoyed, to pleased? Was that amusement? He hadn't seen her looked so amused in years, it took him a minute to realize that was the expression on her face. Ever since they moved in together and looked after Skye, he noticed more and more that his best friend was coming back. It was always in small moments, in phrases and gestures, but it was the biggest change for Coulson to see. Even Natasha made a remark on it the other day about how May seemed different and more like her old self, and the agent had only been here for less than a week to notice.

"What," Coulson asked, wondering what brought that small smile out.

"We sound like parents," May said dryly, "You said you would ground them when they got back and I was ready to agree."

Coulson thought over it for a second, "Well, we are their foster parents. Besides, I can remember all the times you grounded Natasha. We haven't had to ground Skye yet though."

"You almost did when she was late last Saturday," May reminded him with a soft smile.

"That was warranted," Coulson folded his arms over his chest, "I told them to be back by ten."

May rolled her eyes, "Five minutes after, they were fine."

Coulson huffed, "I guess it was, but still. This time, this time I won't back out because she said please."

May couldn't back the laugh, "Yeah right."

Coulson opened his mouth to argue, but stopped when the door opened. Both agents stopped to look ahead, the sight of the red haired agent and brunette ward sent relief through them. Natasha walked in wearing her typical black jeans and a blue v neck, grinning from ear to ear. Skye was wearing ripped black jeans and black shirt, May and Coulson had to do a double take at the sight of her. However, the smile she was wearing was almost enough to make the pair forget their concerns.

Almost.

Skye had never had so much fun since Robbie. She had forgotten literally all of her problems for the afternoon and evening, hanging out with Natasha who was by far the coolest adult out there. Walking in the house, she felt just fine, until she realized why she had been distracted for so long and that Melinda and Phil were waiting up for them. The Mayson couple didn't look too happy, Skye inhaled.

"Hey, didn't know you two would still be up," Natasha said curiously.

Phil answered, "Couldn't sleep."

Melinda crossed her arms over her chest, "You want to explain where in the hell you two have been all afternoon and evening that you couldn't return our calls?"

"I told you we would be back later," Natasha reminded.

"Later shouldn't have meant eleven o'clock on a school night," Melinda fired back.

"Not to mention neither of you bothered to return our calls," Phil said, he shook his head, "We thought something bad happened to you both."

Natasha tilted her head to the side reading the situation, "You were worried something bad had happened, you know I wouldn't have let anything happen."

"Of course we know that, but anything could have happened and we wouldn't have known because neither of you answered our messages," Melinda told her sharply.

Natasha blinked in surprise at the tone. The last time she heard May sounded like this was a few years ago, when she had decided to 'ground' her because of being reckless during a mission. Yikes, that had not been a fun conversation for Natasha. It was a weird experience considering all her discipline issues before involved physical pain, but nice nonetheless. The Russian agent looked back at Skye with an apologetic expression.

Skye looked nervous, as if now the real colors of the Mayson's would come out. Would they grab a belt? Something from the kitchen? Would they lock her in the basement? Leave her in her room? Not give her any food? Skye bit her lip, she really hoped they wouldn't turn out like other foster homes. They didn't look angry, but they didn't look okay with this either.

"That was irresponsible, you both are from a more technology based age, so use the phones and answer when we text or call you," Phil said in a sharp tone as well, "Okay, it's unacceptable. Do you understand?"

Natasha was seriously considering arguing, but based on the sincerely concerned expression on their faces, she realized that she shouldn't fight it. Besides, it was kind of endearing to see how concerned they were for their new ward. However she also didn't like how they were dragging her into this. Her an adult, an assassin, also not their actual ward into this.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself," Melinda asked.

"My fault," Natasha shrugged, "I had taken Skye's phone while we were off on our adventures, she needed a distraction after today and I just forgot to check my phone. It won't happen again."

Phil looked at Skye, "And you? Anything you have to say?"

Skye opened her mouth and just rambled, "I beat up a kid at school and Natasha thought it would be a good idea for us to hang out, I didn't get in trouble for it because it was self defense and the other guy, he was picking on me and my friends. So it really wasn't my fault. It wasn't Natasha's fault for the whole phones thing. We weren't doing anything illegal this afternoon either, please don't be angry that you send me away or blame Nat. It was my fault anyway for getting into the fight and having her come get me in the first place, so please just don't be upset anymore, okay I'm sorry and I know it, it won't ever happen again, alright promise, besides I'll even do-"

"Skye, breathe," Melinda interrupted, "Try again."

Skye inhaled, then exhaled, "Don't blame Nat, it was my fault. There was a fight at school and she was just trying to make me feel better."

"You got into a fight," Phil asked, "Did you win?"

Skye blinked, she wasn't expecting that question. Surely the yelling would come next.

Natasha answered for her, "She did. He was bullying her and some of her friends. He tried to grab her, but our girl handled herself. Busted lip and a sprained wrist I believe, not to mention a good hit she got to his di-"

"Language Natasha," Melinda said.

Natasha rolled her eyes, "Sorry. Point is, Skye took care of business, but was worried about your reactions."

Skye nodded, "I'm sorry I got into a fight and that we didn't answer our phones."

Phil spoke then, "No need to apologize for the fight, you were defending yourself. I'll let Melinda talk to you more about how to get out of fights and win them without having to throw a single punch, she's good at that. It helps to give you an edge."

Melinda added, "We can go over that later. For now, to ensure you both remember to answer your phones when we call… Skye, computer privileges except for school are gone for the next week. Natasha, keys to your corvette until Sunday."

"What," the girls said in unison. Skye more in surprise, Natasha in horror.

"I leave on Friday, with my car," Natasha said incredulously, "Besides, I am an adult who needs to get back to work soon."

"And what about the movie Simmons and I were making," Skye argued meekly, "I have all the stuff on it, I can't let her down."

Phil brought the back up for Melinda, "Natasha, you may be an adult but you still have to do as we say because we are… your superior officers if you will. Looks like you will be spending a little more time here thinking about what you've done. Skye, you can explain to Simmons why your movie project is on hold until next Wednesday. We can extend these punishments if you would rather that."

"This is ridiculous," Natasha said shaking her head.

"No," Skye said, "A week no computer and no car for the next few days is fair."

Natasha groaned, but grinned at Skye, "Guess that means you're a goody two shoes."

"Am not," Skye said in offense.

"Sure," Natasha drawled with a good natured smile.

Natasha chuckled, she pulled out her keys and tossed them to Melinda who caught them with ease.

The Russian agent sincerely hoped they weren't serious about her giving her car until Sunday, she hoped it was just for show. However she also had a feeling her superiors here were not bluffing. What a fun conversation that would be once Skye was asleep or at least out of earshot.

Natasha threw her arm around Skye's shoulders, "Gotta love mom and dad killing all the fun, but also not killing us."

Skye chuckled, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right," Natasha said, "Well goodnight Mr and Mrs Buzzkill, take care of my baby."

"With our lives," Phil joked.

Natasha and Skye made their way upstairs leaving Melinda and Phil downstairs. Skye had never felt so relieved in her life, they weren't upset with her for the fight. They weren't happy with the missed phone calls, but that was so small Skye didn't care. She was off the hook so to speak, well she couldn't use her laptop with the free reign for the next seven days, but better than a beating.

Coulson really felt like a parent then as he watched the pair go up the stairs, he had to admit he really liked the idea of this being his life. Even though he knew missed out on the typical nine to five job, being an agent while also having this didn't sound so bad. It felt like home. He looked at May to see she had already moved to the kitchen and started opening and closing various places, likely to deter Natasha from finding out where the keys would be hidden.

"You really keeping her keys," Coulson asked as he walked over.

May nodded, "She'll likely find them after one go and if not, she knows how to hot wire the car. Besides I wouldn't be surprised if Stark added features to the car so that she could access it without a key."

Coulson sighed, "Fair enough. Guess we really are in that parent role."

"Guess so," May acknowledged, "What's on your mind?"

Coulson exhaled, he really didn't want to talk to May about that idea in his mind, besides it was ridiculous to entertain. However something did come to mind that he did need to talk to her about.

"Run it by me today, the man who came to your dojo," Coulson said leaning forward, "It rubbed you the wrong way for a reason."

May shrugged, "I don't know. I could have been over analyzing it. He could have just been a man who wanted to know classes for his wife and daughter."

"But you don't really believe that," Coulson said knowingly.

"I don't," May said simply.

"I wouldn't either," Natasha said suddenly at the base of the stairs.

May rolled her eyes, "You don't even know what he said."

"Didn't need to," Natasha said coming to Coulson's side, "Whenever you get weird vibes, it's always right. Also, are you seriously keeping my car keys?"

May and Coulson gave her the same expression that said 'yes'.

"God, you guys have Skye for what three weeks and already act like real parents," Natasha said shaking her head.

"Please, I'm pretty sure May's grounded you before," Coulson said grinning.

May snickered, "I know Fury definitely did."

Natasha didn't bother to comment on the incident May was talking about, "Anyway, I managed to dig up some more stuff on Skye's case. Turns out there was a blood sample left behind at one of the incidents that the man beast had dealt with way back."

"There a lab report," May asked.

Natasha nodded, "In the works as we speak. Likely will take another day or two, but I'll be sure to have Maria send it when you give me my keys back."

"Not happening," Coulson smiled sweetly, "Where did you and Skye go off to?"

Natasha shrugged nonchalantly, but the glint in her eyes was far from innocent, "Just had a girls day. In the morning I'll check out the lab progress and see what else I can find."

* * *

"Well, did you find anything," asked the woman as she rushed out of the room.

It had been a week since her 'husband' left to find out more information on their missing relative. He hadn't sent anything to alert her of what was happening, she hoped that him keeping her in suspense was because he had been productive and not just a lack of care on his part. Or perhaps by the radio silence he was being cautious for once in his life.

His grin was wide and eyes bright, "I have discovered something."

"Out with it then," said the woman, "Cal, what did you find? Did you find her?"

"I found her and this time, I intend to bring her home."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hey agents, I'm terribly sorry for the lack of updates. Some IRL stuff was weighing me down making it harder to get any words on the page, but things have been getting better and I was able to get this chapter finished for an update. This chapter is more of a filler chapter, but it does set the stage for something really important. Anyway, hope you guys have an awesome day today and good luck watching Endgame! I'm seeing it today and I'm terrified.**

 **Summary: Agents Melinda May and Phil Coulson are put on a new assignment to look after an object of unknown origin, an 0-8-4. The only catch is this 0-8-4 is a person. A fourteen year old girl who's spent her life in the foster system is now in more danger than ever. A man beast is hunting her and SHIELD has to make sure that it doesn't get close to her. AU**

 **Please ignore spelling or grammar mistakes, I double checked, but probably missed some.**

* * *

 **Chapter 15 October 2011**

It had not been a good day. Well, not a good few days for Skye actually.

Over the weekend Natasha left her. Then she got into a fight with Simmons over something stupid, Fitz followed Simmons so he wasn't talking to her much either. They worked it out the next day, but her mood didn't improve. She failed a test and usually that wouldn't bother her, but she deserved at least a C. Not to mention Phil and Melinda we're getting on her last nerve. They seemed on edge about something, but she had no idea what about. Lincoln and Ward were finding her sour mood entertaining so they wouldn't leave her alone. Trip was the only human being whose presence wasn't going to be the death of her.

Needless to say the universe had it out for Skye. Things of course got worse with the next week that followed. So she found herself in a place she shouldn't have been in. Even though Hyde had forced her and Robbie into fighting circles, there were plenty of times she did enjoy getting in the ring. She was a winner in the fights usually, her smaller size and pointy elbows seemed to give her an advantage when she fought, not to mention the tips Robbie gave her. When life was getting to her these past few days, she started going back to those fights. She won some, lost some. This was where she found herself on Saturday night.

She told the Mayson's she was going out with friends. It wasn't a complete lie, she did hang out with her friends for an hour before saying she had to go and came here. There were two rings in this underground circuit, adults vs adults and teens vs young adults. The rules weren't always followed, but it made it easier to get away with in the sense of adults weren't beating the shit out of kids.

Skye leaned back against the concrete wall, her right side was killing her and she knew she would have a wicked bruise for the next week or so. Even though she won the fight, got the money, she felt awful. Not just from the physical pain. She just felt like a wreck, a failure, disappointment. Things were just not going her way recently. Skye ran her fingers through her hair, everything she had done wrong or poorly in the past week came flooding through her mind. Her eyes started burning with the tears she couldn't shed now, here in all places.

"Hey," she called to Brock, one of the 'coordinators', "Put me back in."

He turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow, "You sure about that?"

Skye stood up sharply, she ignored the pulsing pain in her side, "Yes. Put me in next round."

Brock released a sigh and muttered something she couldn't hear. However a few minutes after the current fight ended she was back in the center of the ring. Her opponent was a slightly older girl, likely her late teens or early twenties. Didn't bother Skye, she just wanted to fight someone. The girl she was fighting had her blonde hair tied into a ponytail, a busted lip from the last fight she in, but it looked like the blood had dried to her mouth and cheek. She attacked her first, Skye dodged easily enough. Her lessons with May had actually proved more helpful than she originally thought. It almost made her wish Hyde had put her and Robbie into martial arts to give them a better chance at fighting.

In her moment of musing, her opponent landed a solid kick to her already beaten up side. Skye couldn't stay up, she fell to the ground as the crowd screamed and cheered. She managed to roll away from the girl's next attack, even landed a good punch to her jaw. Skye's knuckles ached from the punching she had been doing the past few days, every other night sneaking out and back in, fighting with bruised knuckles that refused to heal. Luckily her fingerless gloves were making it easy to hide from the Mayson's and her friends.

There was that run in with Melinda, but she didn't want to think of that now. None of them cared about what was wrong with her, not really, but it made her feel better to hide it in case someone asked questions. The fight continued, she lost this round, but held her own and escaped with bruises she could hide. The cut on her right eyebrow however was going to be a little more difficult to explain away and hide. Though she could say it happened when she was messing around the bleachers at school, something she had done before as a child.

"Skye?"

Skye froze in her spot, she turned around sharply to see one of her friends from school. It was Ward. He was dressed in black pants and a white t-shirt that had splatters of blood and dirt on it. His right eye looked a little red and a bruise was definitely forming there. Otherwise, he looked unharmed. However seeing him here at all was jarring, but at the same time Skye wasn't too surprised. It was no secret Ward had anger issues and a difficult past, it made sense why he would be here. That wouldn't stop her from asking though.

"Ward, what, what are you doing here," Skye asked him moving to stand in front of him.

"I could ask you the same question," Ward said crossing his arms over his chest, "I've been coming here for awhile. Had been absent the past week for some other reasons. Your turn."

Skye slipped her hands into her pockets, "I needed to blow off some steam."

"You've been to these fights before," Ward said, it wasn't a question.

"Yeah, previous foster home, but different state," Skye said simply, "Finding a fighting ring took a little work, but I had found it weeks ago and only now needed to come. I've been coming the past few days."

"Since the incident that you and Simmons talked about," Ward asked.

Skye shook her head, "No, it was after. I've been coming here for like a week and not every day either. Why are you here?"

"Doesn't matter," Ward said abruptly.

Skye crossed her arms over her chest, "Come on Ward, don't be like that. You can tell me why you're really here."

Ward glanced away, his jaw clenched and unclenched, "It really doesn't matter. You shouldn't be here, this isn't a place for you."

"But it is for you," Skye remarked with a narrowed gaze.

"Yeah, this is a place for me," Ward answered meeting her gaze, "You should go."

"I have another round left in me," Skye replied, "Or we can leave together."

Ward inhaled sharply, "No, I have a few rounds to get through. I'm staying, you're leaving."

"Last I checked, you aren't the boss of me. I can do what I want," Skye said bitterly.

"Okay then," Ward said and stormed off.

Skye watched him go with an annoyed expression wondering what his problem was. Though part of her feared he would tell someone, that would mean incriminating himself to being in places like this and participating. She had a feeling he was here for the same reason she used to be here with Robbie. Because someone in power said she had to. Skye released a shuddering breath, she didn't really have anymore fight left in her, but she didn't feel like leaving Ward here. He would be fine on his own, she knew that, but he was still her friend. He didn't finish until two am, but Skye was glad she stayed with him. Even though Ward wouldn't admit, he was grateful Skye stayed with him this whole time.

The two left the place, since neither one had plans to stop they decided to come here together and leave together. If one was hurt, they would look after each other and take the other's fights. Ward didn't like the idea of Skye taking any of his fights, but he was touched that she suggested it. It was what she and Robbie would do when they had to go to fights. Skye snuck back into the Mayson house, into her room and crawled into bed. Exhaustion was taking over, however before sleep claimed her she heard her door open and saw a ray of light fill the dark room.

* * *

Coulson walked back in the master bedroom with a relieved expression on his face. That told May all she needed to know, Skye had come back.

"She just got back," Coulson said taking a seat on his side of the bed, "Barely hit the pillow before she was asleep."

May nodded, but didn't make a verbal reply. As two highly trained agents they knew Skye had been sneaking out these past few nights. For the past week or so she seemed to be out of it, pushing the limits they set and on the verge of a explosion. It couldn't be helped though. May knew every teen goes through this phase, to see just how far they can go and then go further to test those waters. It didn't necessarily bother May or Coulson, they had a feeling they should let Skye have these moments to get it out of her system.

Plus they weren't making it that easy for her. Maria had told them there was a new lead in the case for the Manbeast and a witness account of what happened. This rose a lot of concerns for May and Coulson, they had tightened their reigns a bit on Skye and her response was to pull further away. It didn't sit well with Coulson, if anything it was causing him more pain than he would ever admit. Over the past month, somewhere along the way and likely in the beginning, Skye was not a ward to him. She was one of his girl's now. He, he had to protect her at any and all costs, but here he was. Just letting her put herself in danger. It was killing him.

"Why are we letting her sneak out again when a raging lunatic is out there," Coulson asked with a sigh.

May glanced at him, "Because we have a tracker on her and Clint is in town."

Coulson made a face, "What if the tracker is disabled? What will we do when Clint leaves?"

"The tracker shouldn't have any problems and it alerts us if it loses power. When Clint leaves, one of us can go after her," May answered simply.

"How are you so okay with this, we don't even know what she's doing out there," Coulson questioned.

"Street fighting Phil," May told him flatly, "She's going to underground fighting rings."

Coulson jerked, his eyes widened with horror, "What? How do you know? You said you followed her one night, but said she was fine. She's going to fights? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Skye asked me not to," May said simply.

"May," Coulson said, his shoulders sagged and voice desperate.

May released a sigh, "Look, Skye is dealing with something the only way she knows how. I can't force her not to go, we can drag her back kicking and screaming, but one way or another she will get back there. We either let her go and know where she is, or we try house arrest and she disappears."

"We need to help her," Coulson said, "We can't just let her keep going."

"No, we have to let Skye sort this through on her own."

"So that means leaving her out there in potentially, no actually, harmful situations?"

"She will find a way there regardless of what we do."

"So we put our foot down and don't let her go. It's for her own good."

"If we do that she'll continue to act out and push it further."

"It doesn't matter. It's our job to protect her. Especially from that thing hunting her. We can't let her go again!"

May inhaled as she wondered what she could say, "Phil, you remember the weeks after Bahrain."

"This is hardly-," Coulson tried to say, but was cut off.

"Yes, they are different, but you remember how well the pushes went," May interrupted with a stern gaze, "They sent me further away. If we push Skye, if we try to hold the reins too tight, she will continue this way."

"We can't play reverse psychology with her safety and life on the line," Coulson argued earnestly.

May leaned forward, "The most danger Skye is in is getting a few bruises. The underground ring is not SHIELD jurisdiction by any means, but that doesn't mean agents aren't there. Besides, Skye isn't the only student from Carter Academy who fights there."

"What," Coulson said confused.

May chuckled weakly. She forgot about how Phillip goody two shoes Coulson wouldn't be caught dead trying to sneak out to an underground fighting ring. Though in later years of training, he did go to those fights a handful of times to get experience and for some mission that required it. Even though the underground fights weren't part of the curriculum for the high schoolers, it was for the real agents in training. May had gone to plenty of them, those were some of the most fun times she had.

"What's so funny," Coulson asked with a mild glare.

"You never went to the underground fights," May said, "You were too much of a rule follower then."

Coulson looked like he wanted to argue, but shook his head to say something else, "You said the fights weren't under SHIELD's jurisdiction, so why are there students fighting?"

May leaned back against the headboard, "The more advanced students are there for experience, they go every so often to get better at fighting an opponent who isn't calculating and more wild. It forces them to adjust their styles and not give away that they are trained agents. If something were to happen to Skye, the other agents monitoring it would get her out and pass her to Clint."

Coulson was quiet for a few moments, unsure of what to say. This whole time he had been on the verge of pulling out what hair he had left because he thought Skye was in real danger. She was still in danger, but not nearly as much as he believed before. A pulse of anger went through as he looked at May, wondering why she didn't just say that in the beginning.

Coulson sighed heavily, "Why not tell me all of that? Just because Skye asked you not to?"

"It's hard to tell her no," May answered honestly, "I'm telling you this now so you can take a breath. We will handle this, but a confrontation won't do the trick. For the time being we need to let her be, but soon we'll have an intervention."

"Here I would have thought that would be your take," Coulson commented.

May shrugged, "At another time it was, but this is different. Skye isn't just some agent we can just discipline with push ups or slow missions. She's a frustrated teenager struggling to find her place. We can be there for her, but we can't infringe, not as much as we want to."

Coulson chuckled softly, but he quickly faded, "I just, I don't want to fail her you know? It seems like her whole life, all people have done is let her down."

"We won't be them," May said, her voice leaving no room for argument.

Coulson still countered, "What about when this mission is over? When the manbeast is found and she's safe? She won't be with us anymore and just like that we'll have let her down too. What then?"

May frowned at that. To an extent, Coulson was right. It didn't matter how good they were with Skye now or later, once the mission was over she would be gone from their lives. May tried to ignore the ache she felt in her chest at the thought of never seeing Skye again. Though emotions were not on her radar, she did care about the teen more than she should have allowed herself to. Compartmentalizing had been her strong suit, Agent May was capable of keeping all her priorities in check and not letting anything distract her from the task at hand.

Besides she didn't have the time or energy to care about others, not anymore. There were few exceptions and she knew despite herself that Skye had become one of those exceptions. It was obvious she was for Coulson. He cared about her the girl the moment he met her and he's been wanting to care for her since. To protect her, to be there for her. May recalled how he told her about the nightmares. How he found Skye in the hall struggling not to sob her heart out. How he had been powerless to do anything, but be there. How he wanted to make sure she never had to be so afraid ever again, but it wasn't possible.

He couldn't protect her forever. Neither could she. However May did know one thing she could do. It had been in the back of her mind for years now, but she never had the heart to leave SHIELD completely because for so long it was her life. Everything about her had come from SHIELD and saying goodbye entirely would have been too much, but now, now she could say goodbye.

"I would tell you I don't know," May said softly, "But in reality, it just means there's a high chance I'm leaving SHIELD."


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Yay, update!**

 **Summary: Agents Melinda May and Phil Coulson are put on a new assignment to look after an object of unknown origin, an 0-8-4. The only catch is this 0-8-4 is a person. A fourteen year old girl who's spent her life in the foster system is now in more danger than ever. A man beast is hunting her and SHIELD has to make sure that it doesn't get close to her. AU, MCU characters will be used.**

* * *

 **Chapter 16**

 **October 2011**

Skye could hardly think straight. Last night someone got a clean hit to her head forcing her down, she was ninety percent sure she had a concussion. That was not a good thing at all. She couldn't tell the Maysons though. Because then they would ask how she got it or be pissed that she had yet another issue for them to deal with. The Maysons were cool and all, she actually did like them a lot, but she knew that eventually they would turn out to be like everyone else. She couldn't let herself get to close, never again.

It was out of the questions, but her head was pounding and the feeling she had to throw up had yet to leave her alone, a bad sign. Noises, any noise was a pain and thr lights were also driving her crazy. The chance that she did have a concussion were high. Gripping her pen a little tighter than necessary, she tried to focus on anything but the pounding feeling.

Originally she hadn't planned on spending so much time at the fights, she just needed it for a few days, but now she felt like she couldn't leave. When she was fighting, she felt the fire and adrenaline building, growing, powering her. It was as if she were in charge, in control, able to do something for herself.

"Skye, you okay," asked Simmons works frown.

The girls were in study hall trying to get some homework done and usually Skye liked to fill the boringness with some entertainment. Not today however, she was silent, but not due to concentrating on her work. Something else was wrong, not that Simmons knew what it could have been. Though Simmons would have been lying if she said she didn't notice how her friend was a little worse for wear. Appearing more sluggish, but she did have more light to her eyes despite it. No one could understand what caused the change in Skye, none of them were certain if it was good or bad for her. S

kye narrowed her eyes at Simmons, "I'm fine Simmons. Just, let's just do our work."

Simmons raised an eyebrow, she closed her books, "You never say that. What's gotten into you? Come on, you can tell me. Maybe I can help."

"No you can't," Skye said through her gritted teeth, the noise of everyone speaking softly around her was maddening.

"Well how do you know," Simmons asked, though her tone was but more hesitant.

She wanted to help Skye, but she didn't want to push her too far. Besides she could tell that her friend was on the more miserable side today. Simmons learned forward slightly, she recalled what she had observed of Skye today compared to recently along with this. It was then she realized.

"You have a concussion," Simmons said.

Skye rolled her eyes, "Oh what gave you that idea?"

"Well your irritated, you can't focus, noise is bothering you paused on how you react to even the quiet sounds, this room isn't bright, but you continue to squint or keep your head tiltied down, not to mention you looked like you wanted to throw up earlier despite saying you were fine," Simmons explained as she leaned back, "What happened?"

Skye huffed, "Just a fight. I'm fine."

Simmons rolled her eyes, "Clearly not. Go to the nurse or I will report your symptoms and you won't be able to run off."

"Let them come get me," Skye said bitterly. She grabbed her books and shoved them into her bag with unnecessary force. The bell rang the moment she was done making her hiss in annoyance. Simmons opened her mouth to speak, but Skye was already walking away. The teen sighed heavily, she grabbed her own books and went after Skye.

* * *

 _But in reality, it just means there's a high chance I'm leaving SHIELD._

It had been days ago since May had said those words to him, but still he couldn't seem to let them go. Even when May had been at her worst with SHIELD she still remained, the idea to leave had crossed her mind and Coulson knew that, but something stopped her. May had a thousand reasons to stay and one reason to go in the past. Today he realized she still had all of those to stay and one reason to go.

 _Leave SHIELD? You would leave?_

 _For Skye._

 _And you said I was too attached._

May hadn't said anything else on the subject, in fact she had been avoiding it almost. Neither spoke more about her declaration, she didn't want to talk about it and Coulson was just afraid to hear more what she had to say about leaving SHIELD. May was his best friend at SHIELD, he couldn't imagine losing her in any form and years ago, he had lost her.

Here she was, so close, but now she was going to go. Of course he knew it wasn't set in stone, but he couldn't fight the nager he felt building that she was just ready to leave. That she didn't have any doubts about it and would just leave SHIELD, leave him behind… It stung. Dinner that night was tense and extremely uncomfortable for the three people of this household, each for their own reasons that they were willing to share.

Though Coulson noticed Skye's shifting demeanor, she seemed more irritated and out of sorts lately. He had no idea why and he had asked her what was wrong to which to practically hissed about how being a girl sucked before slamming her door. Coulson decided not to bother her again, but still he worried. And not everything that was going on with May and her words about leaving, that added to it.

Oh and how could he forget the breakthrough in the hunt for the manbeast? Agents had been watching one of Skye's previous foster homes to see that the man arrive and attack the foster parent. They stepped inside and even got a hit on the attacker, but he got away. It wasn't exactly a success, but it was more luck than they had, had in awhile.

"So," Skye said pushing food around her plate, "This is awkward. You two get into a fight or something?"

The atmosphere was incredibly off to Skye, but she couldn't tell what it was about. Fear pricked her mind that it was because they were going to tell her they were sending her back. That she was too much trouble, not a good fit and they no longer wanted to look after her. Melinda and Phil had been acting strange for days in fact, she wondered if it was because they were wondering how to break it to her.

"Not exactly," Melinda told her with a side glance at Phil, "Just, some news I don't think he took too well."

Phil snapped his head to look at her, "News I didn't take well? I took it fine. It was your news that just surprised me."

Skye glanced between the two of them, "Ooohhh kay. Well, I'm going to go upstairs now."

"Hold on a second," Phil told her.

Skye narrowed her gaze slightly, shoving down her fear. Why did she care if they were going to send her back? She was so stupid, letting herself get comfortable and actually liking them or her friends at school. The burning of her eyes surprised her for a moment, but she forced herself to remain as under control as possible.

"Why," Skye asked letting her anger show through.

"Watch your tone," Melinda reprimanded.

Skye glared at her, "Or what?"

"I think we all need to calm down," Phil said before the two could go further, "I'm stressed, it's getting to me. Ma-Melinda, you're restless and think you have a plan ready for your next step-"

"I don't think, I _know_ ," Melinda interrupted.

Phil bit back his own frustration, "You _think_ you have the next step after your declaration. To just-"

"I know what I said Phil," she snapped at him, her tone causing Skye to flinch, "And I meant it. This is not a discussion we should be having right now."

Skye's eyes flashed at that, "Because I'm here? No, you don't get to dismiss me when I could be the subject."

"This does not concern you," Melinda said, "However if you prefer that we discuss you, how about we talk about your late night adventures?"

"What I do is my business," Skye protested.

"Not while you live under this roof," Phil told her sharply, "Those underground fights are dangerous."

Skye scoffed, she shook her head, "So what? I can handle myself and have been handling myself my entire life. And while we're at it, why don't you just take me back so I can continue to handle myself."

"And if you were hurt," Melinda questioned, she gestured at Skye, "Enlighten us. If you were hurt, would you be able to handle it?"

Skye replied, "Yes I-"

"No, you wouldn't be able to handle it correctly because you are still a fourteen year old girl, you may have had to take care of yourself because no one else has, but you are not as wise and experienced as you think," Melinda interrupted her.

"We can't all handle our issues like a robot," Skye hissed bitterly.

"We can't all choose to lash out at underground fighting rings," Melinda remarked, some ice in her voice.

Skye struggled to keep her anger in check, "Not like you stopped me from going. Just take me back to Agnes and you won't have to be burdened anymore."

All the tension that had been placed between the trio seemed to fade away at those words. Skye didn't know what to make of the shift in atmosphere, it came on so suddenly it almost made her dizzy. Though she blamed that on the lack of sleep and not on Simmons concussion idea from earlier.

"Where does Agnes come into this," Phil asked incredulously.

Melinda added, "You think because you're having some rough days that we'll take you back?"

Skye lost the edge in her voice, "Well, yeah. I caused trouble at school, I'm sneaking out pretty much every night, I give you guys a rough time. I've been sent back for far less."

Melinda leaned back in her seat, wondering how she should proceed with this. Despite her declaration of leaving SHIELD for Skye, she wasn't entirely sure how well Skye would take the mingled truth. Obviously the part about SHIELD would be left out, but May planned to keep Skye away from SHIELD, which meant in a manner of speaking it was similar to adoption if not more under the table.

However she knew she couldn't just throw the word adoption around, especially in front of a young teen who was desperate for a real home despite her unwillingness to admit it. May quite honestly didn't believe she could give Skye that, there was a chance she and Coulson could give that Skye together. In another universe she supposed they did, but that universe didn't seem to be this one. Looking at Skye now, May knew that the journey ahead for this girl still had more trials to go.

"Sending you back isn't an option," May said breaking the silence, "Doesn't matter what you do."

Without another word, she stood from the table and left the dining room. Skye and Phil could only watch her go, their own thoughts spiraling. Skye didn't know how to feel about that, but she felt warm, she believed Melinda and that wasn't something expected. Guilt was the next emotion Skye felt as she sat there in silence. If Melinda and PHil really did care about her like they claimed, she was starting to feel guilty for the hard time she was giving them.

There was still a chance it wasn't true, but she considered that if it was, then maybe she should change her attitude about it. The very thought of doing sent a wave of terror through her, but she knew was curious and she wanted to know just how much truth there was to Melinda's words just now. She would put them to the test, if they were telling the truth then she had nothing to worry about. If they weren't, Skye imagined she'd be back at Agnes in a few more weeks.

* * *

 **October 31 2011**

"I can't believe we agreed to this," Melinda said shaking her head as she filled up another bowl of candy.

Skye smiled at her, "Honestly, I can't believe it either."

It had been more like luck as far as Skye was concerned and a welcomed surprise. It took a day or two after the dinner fights for things in the household to return to normal and by that point, Skye managed to tell them about her symptoms which did result in a doctor's appointment that she didn't protest. A mild almost moderate concussion had been the diagnosis.

Skye lost all her technology rights, partially due to the fights and because the doctor said so. Skye also had to stay home for a bit which she wouldn't have complained about if she had access to entertainment, but she did sleep a lot. She returned to school with little issues, though she and her friends were staying home tomorrow.

It was Halloween and Skye was hosting a little get together for her friends. Phil had been the one to suggest it and that lead to Melinda and Skye filling up party bowls of candy, popcorn, chocolate covered pretzels and chips. Phil left to get age appropriate horror movies, much to Skye's annoyance, but his choices seemed well enough.

"Are you excited," Melinda asked as she threw away the empty candy bag.

"Yeah," Skye answered with a slight grin, "Yeah, maybe a little nervous too. I've never hosted people before. What am I supposed to do?"

Melinda answered, "Have fun. If they have a question, like where's the bathroom, you tell them. It's straightforward."

Skye sighed, "Guess so. What are the ground rules?"

"You already know where they can and can't go," Melinda reminded her, "No screaming after midnight, you will give Phil a heart attack. If you guys do decide to go out into the neighborhood, please let me or Phil know when you'll be back."

"I doubt we're actually going trick or treating," Skye said with an eye roll.

Melinda raised an eyebrow at her, "Considering you told me you've been trick or treating twice, I highly doubt any of your friends will allow you not to go."

Skye opened her mouth to protest when the doorbell rang, her heart quickened in pace at the sound. She looked in the direction of the door biting her lip as her nerves came back up. This was the first time she was hosting a party/ sleepover and she didn't want to screw up.

Melinda went to the door, she greeted the first guests, "Hello Simmons, Fitz."

"Good afternoon Mrs Mayson," Simmons said happily, "I know we're early, but I thought we could help with anything or-"

"Convince Skye to put on this costume and come trick or treating with us," Fitz continued with a hopeful expression.

Skye groaned from her spot in the kitchen. Melinda grinned, "I think you two will have better luck than me. Come on in."

Simmons and Fitz walked in smiling. The pair had come to the house a few days before to visit Skye while she had been under house arrest. May knew them to be excellent students at the Academy and would likely become some of SHIELD's finest. The pair of them were incredibly sweet, well mannered and genuine which May found refreshing. If she was being honest, she knew Skye tended to follow a different crowd and was pleased to see that she had found friends of a different sort. SHe closed the front door and returned to the kitchen to see Fitz holding up a Red Riding Hood costume.

"Seriously," Skye asked looking at it, she shook her head, "I already said I wasn't going trick or treating."

"Well even if you don't go there's no reason you can't dress up with the lot of us," Fitz told her, "Besides, be glad this is the costume we brought. Simmons wanted you to be a scientist like us."

Skye smirked, she looked over their outfits, "Who are you supposed to be?"

"I am Marie Curie," Simmons said smiling. Her costume was a black dress from the late 1800's, ruffles ends on the sleeves and around the neck line. If Skye wasn't mistaken, it had to be the same dress Curie wore in most of the photographs that existed of her.

"Dr Frankenstein," Fitz said as he adjusted his lab coat. If Skye was being honest, he looked like he typically did whenever he was in one of the science labs. Though she had to give him credit for wearing a lab coat that could be adjusted to look like the one that Dr Frankenstein wore in the movies.

Skye shook her head with a grin, "You guys look good, but really, I don't need to go trick or treating."

Simmons sighed dramatically, "Oh no Fitz. Whatever will we do now? How will we tell Lincoln he doesn't have a counterpart to his costume?"

Fitz struggled not to groan at her performance.

Skye blinked twice before asking, "Wait, what? Lincoln's counterpart?"

"Yes," Simmons said with a too wide smile, then she winced, "Sorry, too much huh?"

"Obviously," Fitz remarked with a breath, he looked back at Skye, "Lincoln is dressing up as a grey wolf so if you don't dress as Red Riding Hood, he won't have a partner."

Skye crossed her arms over her chest, "What about Trip and Ward? What are they dressing up as?"

Fitz answered her, "Men in black, just suits really, but they do have the neuralyzers."

Skye's brow quirked up as she let out a soft, huh.

Her eyes fell onto the Red Riding Hood costume for a moment, studying it. The red cloak looked smooth and almost like velvet which was nie. The dress from what she could see on the side of the packaging had a red skirt with a little white fabric down the middle. The top was white with a black corset looking thing around the waist. Maybe it wouldn't kill her to dress as Red Riding Hood and go out trick or treating.

"It'd be a shame to let Lincoln down," Simmons muttered.

Skye's eyes narrowed at her dangerously, silently daring her to say more.

Simmons smirked softly, she took the costume from Fitz and handed it Skye, "Would you please get ready now?"

Skye sighed in defeat, "Okay, okay. Fine, but just this once and we're only going for an hour."

Fitzsimmons cheered to themselves for a moment. Skye made her way upstairs, Simmons at her heels while Fitz sent a message to Lincoln that their plan worked and Skye was going trick or treating with them tonight. It was going to be a really good night.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I'll admit, I'm not super pleased with this chapter, but it helps me set up everything I need to in the best way without it being too obvious, though I'm worried it doesn't have a good flow to it. But after at least three re-writes, here we are. I hope you guys enjoy it and have an awesome day!**

 **Sidenote: There is a pretty long flashback scene and I didn't like it all of it in Italics, so it's blocked off. If that doesn't look right to you guys and you'd prefer Italics, let me know and I'll change it.**

 **Summary: Agents Melinda May and Phil Coulson are put on a new assignment to look after an object of unknown origin, an 0-8-4. The only catch is this 0-8-4 is a person. A fourteen year old girl who's spent her life in the foster system is now in more danger than ever. A man beast is hunting her and SHIELD has to make sure that it doesn't get close to her. AU, MCU characters will be used.**

* * *

 **Chapter Seventeen**

Skye looked at herself in the mirror for the most part satisfied with the way she looked. Despite herself, she couldn't stop the nervousness from growing in her stomach spreading throughout. The only Halloween she could remember 'trick or treating' was when she was five and the kindergartners got to go to the classes and get treats. It had been fun, but likely not as good as the real thing as far as Skye was concerned.

She tugged the red hood over her wavy hair, straightening her shoulders and she nodded approvingly. This would be fun. They would go trick or treating for an hour, maybe stop by the neighborhood haunted house then come back to watch scary movies in their costumes.

Skye turned around to look at Simmons who was sitting neatly on her unmade bed, her smile wide and eyes excited. It came as a slight surprise that Simmons and Fitz would be this invested in Halloween, one minute they sounded like most adults and the next they were very much like kids.

"What do you think," Skye said gesturing to herself, "Do I make a decent Red Riding Hood?"

Simmons nodded, "Perfect. I'm glad you liked it enough to actually put it on."

Skye chuckled, "Well, you and Fitz can be pretty persuasive."

Simmons stood up quickly, "One of our many talents. Now come on, I heard the doorbell which means someone else has arrived."

"Great," Skye said a little less than enthusiastic.

Simmons frowned, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, let's go," Skye said walking out of her room, Simmons right behind her.

The two girls made their way downstairs, but stopped in the middle to look and see who had arrived. Skye found Lincoln had arrived and was talking to Phil with Fitz and Melinda setting something else up on the side. His costume was unmistakably a wolf. Lincoln was dressed in a grey wolf onesie, the hood from what Skye could see had ears and maybe eyes, but she wasn't sure.

Maybe she was just a little happy that she agreed to be Red Riding Hood now that she saw her best friend. Of course her and Simmons were close, but Lincoln was her closest friend out of the group.

Phil glanced their way and waved, "Ah, Red Riding Hood and Marie Curie, come on down."

Skye rolled her eyes as she made her way down stairs, though Simmons was beaming at being called Marie Curie. Though she guessed Fitz told him, she was still happy about it.

"Pleasure to see you again Simmons," Phil said with a smile.

Simmons nodded, "And you too sir. Hello Lincoln, I love the costume."

Lincoln grinned, though it was stiff given all the face paint he had on, "Yeah, my sister was thrilled when I told her and couldn't resist helping to paint my face. I'm glad to see Red has decided to join us."

"Hahaha," Skye said sarcastically, "We're going for an hour."

Lincoln scoffed, "Trust me, we'll be gone longer than that. If it's okay with your pare- foster parents."

Skye didn't remark on the slip up.

"It's fine by us, as long as we get a text," Phil said with a smile.

He couldn't comment on the slip up either. It shouldn't have bothered him, to be referred to as Skye's foster parents. It was true after all, she was his foster daughter, he wanted to say the bothered feeling came from the fact that he wasn't truly her foster parent. That he was an agent sent to watch her.

However, deep down, he knew that the real reason it bothered him is because he wished the foster part wasn't there. He glanced at Melinda who had a barely noticeable wince on her face as her eyes met his. She felt the same way. She went back to moving some items around behind the counter while Fitz moved to join the group on the other side.

"So," Skye started, "Any updates on Ward and Trip?"

Lincoln answered, "Yeah. They're going to come here first to hang with us for a while."

"Are they going somewhere else," Melinda asked from behind the counter.

Simmons told her, "There was a Halloween party that Akela was throwing."

"And you guys aren't going with them," Phil asked, he looked at Skye, "Sounds like it could be fun."

Skye shrugged her shoulders, but didn't say anything. She was visibly uncomfortable now. Lincoln didn't look much better either, but neither Fitz nor Simmons to notice as they continued talking.

Fitz spoke, "It's not an open party, it's for the Specialist program students only, though Skye and Lincoln could have gone."

"They are recruits for the program so they got an invite, but they chose not to for reasons," Simmons added.

Lincoln sighed, "I already told you, parties aren't my thing."

Fitz scoffed, "No, you decided not to go because-"

"Finish that sentence and I'll kill you," Lincoln said sharply.

Melinda spoke to Skye as the boys bickered, "You're being recruited by the Specialist program."

Skye licked her lips and kept her gaze on the floor, "Yeah."

"Skye, that's amazing," Melinda said, she smiled as best she could despite how angry she was with whoever recruited her, "Why didn't you tell us?"

Skye shrugged her shoulders.

Lincoln came to her aid, though he gave a pointed look to Fitz, "We aren't allowed to talk about it."

Phil frowned, "Really? Who told you that?"

"Some man with an eyepatch," Lincoln answered, "He didn't give his name though. Just that he was one of the really higher ups. He took me, Skye and a handful of others into a room, told us we were on the list to become a part of the Specialist program."

Phil and Melinda shared a look with each other, one of confusion and the other anger. Once the teens were gone, they would have to talk about this. Why on earth Fury would be recruiting Skye was beyond either agent, it didn't make any sense and rubbed them entirely the wrong way.

Melinda didn't want Skye to be wrapped in SHIELD. Of course she did love SHIELD and all it stood for as well as being an agent, however sometimes she had to wonder if she would have been better off without it, especially after what happened to her in Bahrain. Granted, SHIELD did save lives and help people, but Melinda knew people could easily be destroyed by that lifestyle and she didn't want that for Skye.

Phil was just confused. Though he thought Skye could make a great agent one day based of her hacking abilities and how quickly she picked up on new skills, he wasn't sure why Fury of all people would recruit her. It was Fury who had been working on her case, who was talking closely with Maria and another agent about Skye's 0-8-4 status. It didn't make sense as to why Fury would be trying to recruit her.

"Anyway," Skye spoke up, her nerves rising, "We should get going, we can meet Trip and Ward out there. I'll text you guys when we're on our way back or if we get held up."

Melinda wanted to stop her, but Phil shot her glance. It was clear that Skye didn't want to risk giving anymore away about what was going on, he couldn't blame her.

"Okay, be safe," Phil told them.

The teens nodded and left the house. Once that front door closed, May's anger could be seen on every feature of her face. Coulson was honestly surprised with how angry she appeared, considering how well she could keep her emotions in check, for her to show this much anger must mean she royally pissed.

He was more or less confused. It was Fury and Hill who assigned them to this case, they obviously knew who Skye was, so why would they be recruiting her into the specialist program? A program that would lead her to become a field agent like them. If Skye's 0-8-4 status turned out that she was gifted, there wasn't a chance she could go into the field.

SHIELD had super powered people, but to keep them protected, they kept them out of the fight. It wasn't there job to fight crimes and protect themselves all the time from the dangers that awaited them. Putting them on the frontline went against the purpose of protecting them, of keeping them safe.

"What the hell is Fury thinking," May said through gritted teeth.

Coulson shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine. He knows she's an 0-8-4, it doesn't make sense. But maybe he just wants to make sure that she can protect herself out there? I mean, when this is all over we won't be keeping close eyes on her like we are now."

May leaned on the counter, "I'm calling him."

Coulson frowned, "May wait-"

"No, I won't wait. I want answers as to why he thinks recruiting Skye into the specialist program is a good idea," May interrupted sharply.

Coulson honestly shouldn't have been surprised by how upset May was about this news. He wasn't that happy about it either, though Coulson guesses for entirely different reasons. It was strange that Fury would go directly to Skye and start recruiting her. Something was wrong with that picture.

"You don't think it would have anything to do with his initiative," Coulson asked as he followed May to the basement.

May paused at the bottom of the stairs, she looked up at him, "No one knows if Skye is gifted, least of all Fury. Besides, she's fourteen. Why would he consider her for if?"

"Unless he knows something we don't," Coulson commented, "But I can't imagine what he could know that would bring that to mind. We're probably overthinking this."

"No kidding."

May and Coulson froze for a moment at the new voice. They quickly made their way down into the open area of the basement to see Agent Hill sitting in the couch. She grinned at them. Maria wasn'r typically one for surprises, but she supposed she could make an exception. Seeing how worked up May and Coulson were at this moment, she figured joe was the perfect surprise or maybe the worst time.

"When did you get here," May asked, arms crossed over her chest.

Maria stood from her seat, "A couple of minutes ago. My timing couldn't be better. You heard about Mary? No, she goes by Skye now. Her recruitment."

"You mind telling us what that's about," Coulson said, he gave a slightly pointed look.

Marie shrugged her shoulders, "Fury think's she could be a great agent one day."

"Despite her 0-8-4 status," May asked, she gritted her teeth, "He shouldn't have moved her to that program at fourteen. Especially if there's a chance her 0-8-4 status is something serious and dangerous."

"Perhaps, but given the recent developments, it stands to reason it could be useful," Maria remarked.

"What developments," Coulson asked.

"Unimportant right now," Maria stated, "Your mission is the same. Keep her safe. This doesn't change anything."

May narrowed her eyes, "What aren't you telling us Maria?"

"Classified," was all the agent said before leaving.

Neither Coulson nor May stopped her.

* * *

Skye was having the time of her life trick or treating. She had to admit, running around with her friends in these costumes and going up to random houses to get candy was a brilliant idea. Currently, she and Simmons were running down a hill with Fitz right behind. Trip and Ward were pulling up the rear while Lincoln was the last one.

Okay, so they weren't just getting candy. They had pulled a few harmless pranks from time to time, throwing one or two toilet paper rolls, playing ding dong ditch, stuff like that. It was all harmless and in good fun, but this woman and her friend were not happy with this group of kids.

Simmons and Fitz were actually a bit terrified, stranger danger and the authorities being called since they were vandalizing someone's property. Ward and Trip were far from concerned, if anything were to go wrong, they were more than prepared to handle anything that came their way. Lincoln was more or less along for the ride as he ran. He had been the one to ring the doorbell and if he was caught, had no problem taking the blame.

Skye was loving the adrenaline that was racing through her in time with her heartbeat. However as she rounded a corner, a scene across the way with another group of teens pulled her out of the present and into the past. One teen was driving slowing by a house as another kid jumped into the car, away from yet another angry homeowner.

"Come back here!"

It didn't help that the voice sounded familiar, from angry man she didn't know, from memory that was hardly a few months old...

* * *

*Flashback*

* * *

"Get your ass back here!"

It didn't take a genius for her to know that the man was not very happy with her and in all honesty, she really couldn't blame him. Against her better judgement, she had decided to play a dangerous game in a dangerous part of town where almost anything went. Though she tended to acquire information, sometimes she would join the fun. It would seem less suspicious that way, but she was hired to hack and gather intel first hand, not play cards or pool. No one else knew that though.

Like Nathan, most people saw her as a common street kid. She didn't care what they thought of her, most of it was rumors anyway. What she did care about was getting into a fight, which did happen quite often. Stopping to speak to him would only end badly for her, she really needed to get home soon or else Hyde would have her head.

Now she found herself wondering what would be better, having to deal with the man she had just conned or deal with her foster father on a Friday night. Mary glanced at her wristwatch, the watch-face was cracked, but at least she could still tell the time. It wasn't midnight yet, he wouldn't be home until one or two which gave her time.

"You hear me," spat the man, "Come back here cheater!"

Her heart began to pick up speed, she was done for if she stayed here. Despite the warm June air swirling around her, all she could feel were the shivers of fear racing through her body. Trying to act calmer than she felt, Mary turned around to see the man, Nathan, standing in front of the entrance to the underground gym/bar where she had walked out from.

Nathan couldn't have been older than twenty-five, a bulky build and stout frame. She looked him up and down, he was stronger than her and more powerful, luckily she knew she would be faster than him. All she needed to do was run away and leave him in the dust.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she lied smoothly despite her rapid heart rate, "I won fair n' square."

"Bull," hissed Nathan.

Fear stole her breath and she felt herself begin to tremble. To hide her shaking hands, she slipped them into her jean pockets. A smug look on her face, yet her brown eyes only held fear in them. This was not going to end well for her, she could already tell it was over before it even began and there was nothing she could do.

Wearing a smug facade, she replied, "I played the game, same as you. I didn't cheat, not my fault the cards were in my favor tonight."

Nathan scoffed, anger in his eyes, "Everybody knows you're a con."

The girl shrugged, "Yet none of you can prove it."

"Don't need proof 'round these parts," Nathan said and took a step towards her, "Now, we're going to settle this."

She swallowed with difficulty, her mouth was dry. If he got too close, he could hurt her and her work tonight would have been for nothing. Besides, she wasn't interested in adding any more bruises to her ever growing collection. The girl shook her head, she forced herself to smirk at him, even though all she wanted to do was whimper in fear.

"Fraid I can't do that," she sneered, "I've got places to be and you can't stop me."

That was a complete bluff on her part, he could very well stop her or get someone else to stop her. However she was just hoping to get far enough away that he wouldn't be able to catch up or send someone after her. With any luck, her ride would show up soon and grab her before things got ugly.

"You wanna bet little girl," mocked Nathan with a twisted smile.

No, she really didn't want to bet because she knew it was a gamble she would lose. The sound of screeching tires mixed with the revving of an engine filled their ears. Nathan turned around, to find the source of the noise while the girl released the breath she had been holding. Looks like her ride came through. Headlights shined on the pair, chasing some of the darkness away which immediately made the girl feel more relaxed.

"This was fun Nathan," the girl said bringing the man's attention back, "Sorry I have to cut this short."

Without waiting for a response, the girl spun on her heels and started to run down the sidewalk. Nathan shouted after her, but she wasn't paying any attention. Instead her focus was on having some momentum and being able to get into the car without hurting herself. This wasn't the first time she had jumped into a moving vehicle and she knew it wouldn't be the last time. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest, she was surprised that it hadn't burst yet.

"Jump girl," she heard the driver shout.

The car was right behind her now, she waited a moment longer before turning to the side and jumping into the back of the car. She slid into the back seat, resting on the leather seat as she tried to catch her breath. Underneath her, she felt the car jerk forward, followed by the slamming of the backdoor. Safe. They were safe. She was safe.

"Perfect," she panted, "timing Robs."

"You're getting better at jumping in," Robs said with a grin, "You get what you needed?"

Mary had been living with Robbie and his younger brother Gabe for awhile now. Both of them worked for Hyde, he was their foster father, but he only saw them as money bags, whether from the state or from the underground fights he sent them too. They would be tag team there and they had their own way of doing things outside of the fighting scene.

Robbie was a street racer, she was more of a thief and secret finder. When he had races, she would be the one to collect the money. If she had some work to do of her own, Robbie was her getaway driver. That was how their partnership worked, nothing more and nothing less. Sometimes he would act more like a brother to her than a colleague, but that couldn't always be the case.

"Yeah," she said climbing into the front seat, "I learned a lot of interesting things. I shouldn't have played cards though."

"Tough loss," Robbie questioned with a smirk.

As if she would ever lose.

Grinning, she replied, "Nah. I won, that guy was pissed because I got to keep his deck of cards and fifty dollars from his pocket."

"Sly girl," Robbie nodded.

Mary grinned at him, "I try my best."

* * *

*Flashback Over*

* * *

"Skye, you alright?"

Skye blinked rapidly as she realized she wasn't with Robbie, she was still in the neighborhood on Halloween night with her friends. Her breathing picked up slightly in speed, she looked around confused and out of sorts.

"I, what happened," Skye asked.

Trip answered her, "You turned into the trees and just kind of stood there like a ghost. It was like you were somewhere else."

"You alright," Lincoln asked, "Did something trigger you?"

Weeks ago, Skye would have bristled and shied away from the question, but after a few therapy sessions and learning to trust her friends, she was okay with them asking. Besides, it was better that they asked instead of ignoring it or brushing it aside, saying that it wasn't real and all in her head.

Skye looked at him, "I don't know. I thought triggers only brought up bad memories. When I saw those kids jumping into that car... it made me think of a night when I was scared sure, but it wasn't that bad. I don't know why it would have brought me so deeply into it."

That was confusing and horrifying to Skye. It didn't feel as if she had been lost in thought or lost in the memory, it was as if she had been forced into it. Sure, there were times when that did happen, but it was usually something traumatic. Like on the fourth of July when the fireworks went off, she was forced into a memory where a foster parent had threatened some kids with his gun. It should have only brought up stuff like that.

Skye frowned as she tried to think why it would have reacted so sharply, she replayed the moments before she was pulled into the memory. The car wasn't like the one she jumped into, the area was completely different. Sure the shouting had been similar, but otherwise there was truly nothing there that should have brought up this kind of reaction.

Then it hit her.

That teen who was driving, he had short black hair and warm skin from what she could recall. He looked like Robbie, if not a few years younger. There was no mistaking it, he looked like her old foster brother. The one she had been forced to leave behind not too long ago.

"That guy," Skye whispered, "He, he reminded me of an an old... Someone I haven't been in contact with for a long time... It's whatever, come on, let's go."

Skye marched forward, her friends all exchanged worried glances before going after her and continuing her night.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: And here's an update! This where things get crazy, on the short side of things and just the tip of the iceberg. This is a pretty big time jump, but there will be plenty of flashbacks and stories seen from the missing time that is October to mid-march here. It will all work out.**

 **Thank you all again for the follows, the favorites and the reviews! You agents are the best! Now on with the show.**

 **Summary: Agents Melinda May and Phil Coulson are put on a new assignment to look after an object of unknown origin, an 0-8-4. The only catch is this 0-8-4 is a person. A fourteen year old girl who's spent her life in the foster system is now in more danger than ever. A man beast is hunting her and SHIELD has to make sure that it doesn't get close to her. AU, MCU characters will be used.**

* * *

 **Chapter Eighteen**

Days turned to weeks and weeks turned into months. Skye had settled almost too comfortably into the Mayson household, the longer she said, the more she felt like this could be home. With spring break around the corner, she realized this stay would become her longest stint yet and truth be told she didn't know how to feel about that.

Phil told her he loved her like his own daughter in January, Skye had been too surprised to say anything back. Melinda kept dropping hints about this being her last stay, but Skye couldn't get her hopes up. Not to mention the slip ups she's made since then, calling them mom or dad had happened a few times, each time she wanted to be swallowed up and disappear. They never pointed it out, thank God, but Skye couldn't deny that it felt right to call them by those titles. But she just couldn't do it consistently.

There was still a chance that they would send her back. The Brody's had loved her, said they would never leave her behind, wanted her to be apart of their family, but still sent her back as if she were nothing. Skye moved her laptop away unable to focus on assignment. Since joining the specialist program, she had double the work and had physical activities she needed to accomplish. At first, it was all she complained about, but by February she was set and top of her class.

Her computer classes were easy and she aced everything in her path, the physical training took a bit more work, but thanks to Melinda and Ward, she was top the candidate. Melinda and Phil were proud of her, had said it on a number of occasions and even celebrated everything she did well. She loved it here, for the first time ever she loved her life. She had people looking out for her, she was excelling in school, she had friends, she hadn't had a panic attack in months, she was thriving. It terrified her that there could be a day she would lose it all.

The sound of pebbles hitting her window jerked her from her thoughts. She glanced at the time to see it was 5:03 in the morning, shoot. Every other morning, she was forced to go on a run at this unholy hour. Quickly she changed and raced out of her room, past Melinda who was doing Tai Chi, something she did every morning.

"Hey Melinda, bye Melinda," Skye called as she left the house.

May could only shake her head with a soft smile. Her initial plans to only remain here for a few weeks had quickly changed and soon enough, her residence here would be permanent. Skye had changed the game, had started changing her and Coulson more than anyone else ever had in the past. Even Natasha had been affected by Skye, Clint and Maria were in agreement on that. Thanksgiving and Christmas had never been so lively for May since the incident in Bahrain.

Natasha and Maria came down to celebrate the holidays with them, Clint could only stop by for a bit on Thanksgiving and video call for Christmas. Clint had nearly brought his family over for the festivities, but Maria convinced now wouldn't be a good time, not until after everything had been sorted out. As it turned out, Maria had been one hundred percent on board with May adopting Skye, much to everyone's surprise. May went through the motions of the next pose as she recalled that conversations, it had occurred days after Thanksgiving.

" _I wouldn't have expected you to be onboard with the idea," May told her, arms crossed over her chest._

 _Maria could only chuckle, "It does seem out of character, but I think Skye is good for you and you for her. We anticipated that her stay with you and Coulson would be a long one, but we hadn't prepared for the attachments when we should have."_

 _May snickered, "Coulson for sure."_

" _We expected it from him, so when he came to me and told me about your plans, I was excited," Maria remarked, she leaned against the wall with a smirk, "Man Fury was not happy about that, but considering he wants to make her an agent, he has no choice, but to allow it."_

 _May frowned at that, "What do you mean?"_

 _Maria winced, she let something slip, "Fury wants Skye to become an agent one day, as does Coulson. If Skye is lost in the system, then we lose time with her. Carter Academy was built to find agents at an earlier age, take you and Coulson for instance. We found you both at eighteen and nineteen and today, you guys are still our top agents. Agent 13 had always been involved since she was in elementary school, look at her now."_

" _SHIELD isn't meant to be raising agents, it's meant to find them or they come to us," May said, her tone a bit sharp._

 _Maria nodded, "You aren't wrong there. The point is, we found Skye and she will be a great asset one day. And even if she decides she doesn't want to be an agent of SHIELD, it'd be good for her to have you or Coulson or both. Lord knows what would have happened to either Natasha or myself with you guys."_

 _May shook her head, "I know you both would have been okay without us."_

" _Okay, sure, but now we're better than okay," Maria said, "By adopting Skye, you give her a real chance at life. Agent or not, with you around, she'll do some great things."_

May released a sigh as the memory came to an end. Skye being in the specialist program still bothered her, but it gave Skye more incentive to remain. It was clear that Skye had grown comfortable, but both Coulson and May could see the signs of a child getting ready to run. At first, May had no idea why the signs were there when she seemed so happy with life. It was Coulson who helped her see why Skye would run, because to her things were too happy. When things get to be amazing, the fear of losing it becomes stronger.

"Skye already leave," Coulson asked softly.

May didn't look at him, "Yes. I'm assuming she's off with Ward and Trip."

Coulson nodded, "That's good."

May and Coulson's relationship had shifted into something neither knew how to handle. Having been 'married' for months now, their friendship had taken some difficult and pleasant turns. This was no longer just a mission and they were no longer just partners. A near kiss weeks ago had left them both uncertain of where things were going and how to handle the unfamiliar terrain.

May straightened herself and faced Coulson, "How was the mission?"

"It went well," Coulson told her.

Ever since Christmas, Coulson would be shipped out to missions and fieldwork while May remained with Skye, who believed Coulson had conferences. They couldn't very well tell her what he was actually doing, however the first time he left it brought some uncomfortable ideas to May. Fieldwork was always dangerous, Coulson knew those risks. Yet May recalled watching him leave and wondered if he would come back.

Though the mission was recon, even those simple missions could go south quickly and lives easily lost. If Coulson didn't come home, May didn't want to imagine how she would tell Skye that the man who was meant to be her father was killed on a business trip? It didn't sit well with May and she realized for the first time in years why you couldn't always be an agent and have a family waiting at home anxiously for your return.

"Has there been any news on the man beast," May asked next as she walked to the kitchen.

Coulson followed her, "Nothing new. It's been quiet for weeks and I have to admit, that doesn't seem right."

May agreed, "Something is definitely wrong with that picture. Do they have any leads as to why this manbeast wants our- wants Skye?"

Coulson didn't comment on her near slip, "No leads. Best guess is that whatever her gift is must be incredibly valuable."

"We still don't even know if she has a gift," May argued with a frown.

Coulson sighed, "We know she isn't entirely human which is gift enough to be careful and means to that thing out there, she holds a lot of value."

May shook her head, "There has to be something else we can do."

Coulson took her hand in his own, the action not foreign to either, but still made the air grow warm, "We are protecting her here. That's what we can do until Maria can find this thing. In the meantime, we need to talk about those papers."

May didn't react, "Which papers?"

"The adoption ones you've had ready since Christmas, the ones we both signed and everything New Years day," Coulson informed her with a smirk, "With both our names down, it changes everything for us and Skye."

May took a breath, "I know. We'd have to tell her the truth, about all of this."

Coulson nodded, "DO you think she'll be angry with us?"

"At first yes, but hopefully she'll cool off and not run away," May replied softly.

May and Coulson agreed to adopt Skye, she would legally and officially be theirs. Though Coulson didn't plan on leaving the field permanently like May, he would still remain with them away from SHIELD for a while before inevitably returning. Skye had stopped being a mission in October, she had become their daughter by January and this would make it for the world to know in a sense. The only problem now was whether or not Skye would want to be with them like that.

Both May and Coulson decided that if Skye didn't want to be adopted, then they wouldn't adopt her and they would foster her until college. Though if she decided she didn't want to live with them, then they would watch her from a distance and check on her as often as they could. Tonight was the night that they would tell her everything, against the wishes of Fury and Hill. Natasha was onboard and would actually be there tonight as a possible buffer.

Skye looked up to Natasha the most, even was caught trying to copy her and act just like her much to Natasha's surprise. Having Natasha there should help, but it could also make things worse. May never showed her true feelings to anyone, but as time passed in this house, she began to express it more in little ways. Her hand was still in Coulson's and she gave it a soft squeeze before pulling away from him. The message was clear to Coulson, she was anxious and glad he was here to help.

The two continued on with their morning routine in relative silence and waited for Skye's return. Usually she would be back by 6 in the morning to shower and get ready for the day, but when the clock read six, she was nowhere to be found. It wasn't uncommon for her to be a few minutes late, but when six thirty came with a text from her, worry began to grow inside Coulson and May. Especially since May called her twice, only to be sent to voicemail.

The tracker placed in her phone still said she was on the jogging course and they both knew it good cell reception. Something had to be wrong. They were about to leave and go after her themselves when the door slammed open, followed by two cries. One belonged to Trip, the other to their daughter.

"Mr and Mrs Mayson, help," called Trip as he half carried, half dragged a hysterical Skye into the house.

"What is going on," Coulson demanded, "Are you hurt?"

May took Skye from Trip as he answered out of breath, "We were just out doing our… our regular training when these guys came and jumped us…. They were, they were dressed in all black clothing... with some type of red insignia on their arms… They grabbed Skye and took her, but she got out. Ward and Lincoln held them off, they, they took Lincoln."

Skye cried out, "Nooo!"

A scream was ripped from her throat as her grip around May tightened. It was then May noticed something on her foster daughter's hands.

"And I don't know what they did to her in there, but she's been like this since," Trip explained, his worry and fear easy to see.

Moments later, Ward appeared in the doorway with an unconscious Lincoln over his shoulders, however it wasn't Ward's beaten appearance that had everyone horrified. It was the fact that Lincoln's hands and feet were covered in some type of brown coating, that was spreading to the rest of him.

"Ward, put him down," Coulson said sternly.

Ward did so and laid Lincoln onto the wooden floor in the living room. Not a moment too soon, Lincoln was covered from head to toe in the brown covering. The same thing was happening to Skye, she couldn't hold to May anymore and called out to her and Coulson with the unfamiliar titles before she was cut off by the brown coating that hardened around them. May could only stare down at the girl in horror wondering what on earth could have possibly done this.

"Both of you, recruits Ward and Trip tell me everything you know, now," Coulson said, his voice hard as ice.

"Mr Mayson," Trip started, but was interrupted.

"My name is Agent Coulson, this is officially SHIELD business. Now tell me everything you know while Agent May gets in contact with out fellow agents," Coulson told them sternly.

May already had Maria on the line, explaining the situation and demanding they send backup as soon as possible. The agent on the phone told them they would be there as soon as possible, but it did little to ease May's terror as she stared down at this statue of Skye. Ward and Trip told them exactly what happened, by the time they finished SHIELD's recovery team arrived and ready to take action.

However before the agents could remove Skye and Lincoln from the premises, the power began to surge in the surrounding area and the ground began to shake as if an earthquake were starting. The lights flickered overhead until they burst and the ground shook until everyone was on the floor.

The brown coatings cracked.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary: Agents Melinda May and Phil Coulson are put on a new assignment to look after an object of unknown origin, an 0-8-4. The only catch is this 0-8-4 is a person. A fourteen year old girl who's spent her life in the foster system is now in more danger than ever. A man beast is hunting her and SHIELD has to make sure that it doesn't get close to her. AU, MCU characters will be used.**

* * *

 **Chapter Nineteen**

Skye had no idea what she was in, but she couldn't move, she couldn't see, she could barely breathe. The breathing exercises she tried to call on were useless to her at this point since you couldn't physically get any air into her lungs. She didn't know where she was, she had been in the woods, on the street, in a van, in her house. She didn't know, she couldn't think, she couldn't breathe.

Skye struggled to calm her speeding heartbeat, but it was so hard, it was so hard for her to do anything besides panic. Noises, she heard noises and tried to pay attention to them as best she could. She could barely hear the others talking around her, their tones muffled by whatever the hell had covered her. Then, then she felt her insides shake rapidly.

The buzzing sound of bees made was exactly how her entire body felt as if she was vibrating. If not for the terror in her veins, it felt like she was on a massage chair going a little too fast for comfort. Her hands were free first, she could move her fingers. The coating cracked off of her face, she could see the ceiling and Melinda out the corner of her eyes. However before she could say anything, a scream was ripped from her throat as the coating flew off of her and at everyone in the area, the entire house shook at the force of it, the neighborhood and city nearby could feel the ground rumble beneath their feet.

An earthquake.

And Lincoln wasn't much better. The coating had cracked away, but Skye's outburst had forced it off of him and electricity rushed all along his body. Every part of him felt as if he was on fire, he couldn't think straight or breathe as his mind was overwhelmed by the heat and the shaking. At one point he tapped into the power grid and if not for the light of the morning, the world would have been shrouded in darkness except for the electricity he produced, the glowing of his exposed arms as the jagged energy was forcing itself out of his body. He gasped for air, a pulse of electricity left him, but he tried to reign it in.

And then there was nothing, both teens collapsed in their place and didn't move. The ground stilled instantly and the static in the air was gone.

"Oh my God," whispered Ward as he watched his friends fall limp on the floor.

May knelt beside Skye despite the protests of the other agents. The girl didn't so much as stir when May lifted her upper body into her arms. She brushed her sweaty hair out of her face, her forehead was burning and as an agent looked at Lincoln, reported the same.

May glared at Maria and another agent she didn't know, "What the hell did you hit them with?"

"Dendrotoxins, they are safer than knock darts and work on anyone with enhanced abilities better," Maria said as she put the weapon away, "I'm sorry, but an earthquake and the verge of an electrical overload calls for it."

May knew she was right, but it didn't stop her anger, as calmly as she could, "Any leads on the ones who did this?"

Hill answered, "I have my guys out there now, no word yet. In the meantime, we need to get them out of here."

Coulson tensed at her words, "Maria, where exactly will they be moved to?"

"Somewhere safe," Hill said as the agents moved Lincoln onto a gurney.

May's grip only tightened around Skye when the agents brought the gurney beside her, "That's not a good enough answer- Don't touch her!"

The agents closest to the pair froze in their spots, they knew of Melinda May's reputation and they did not want to be on the receiving end of her anger. Coulson moved over to her side, his eyes lingered on Skye who was lying limply in his partner's arms. The image brought on a memory of months ago, just after the New Years when Skye's appendix had burst-

 _Coulson and May were asleep in the same bed, something they had started doing a while back, when he heard her scream. He sat up in an instant, May right behind him. The pair rushed to her bed room, opening her door to see Skye curled into a fetal position at the end of her bed, tears running down her face and her face scrunched in pain. He noticed throw up on the left side of her bed._

 _"Skye, what is it, what happened," May asked kneeling before the bed, taking the girl's face in her hands._

 _Skye choked out, "I, I don't know. My stomach hurt, I, I thought it was cramps, but it's so, so much sharper."_

 _"Skye, where does it hurt," Coulson asked her._

 _Skye shifted slightly, barely holding back her sobs as she pointed to the lower right side of her abdomen. He mentally ran over everything he knew about an appendix bursting. Her stomach had been hurting throughout the day, she threw up not too long ago. It hadn't been that bad earlier and she had taken some Tylenol to help, but as the night went on, she got worse. She was going to go to them, but couldn't move and screamed when the pain flared up. Coulson pressed his hand to her forehead, she was burning up. The pain in her side, the nausea, the fever. Had to be an appendicitis._

 _"Skye, have you had your appendix taken out," Coulson asked her, when she didn't answer he tried again, "Angel eyes, please tell me. I need to know."_

 _He'd called her angel eyes before and each time, Skye's attention would zero in on him. All she could manage was to shake her head before a coughing fit overtook her, her hands clutching her stomach as she tried to get air into her lungs. With a quick glance to May, he moved. Coulson pulled Skye into his arms, lifted her up with relative ease and her arms gingerly found their way around his neck so she could hold onto him._

 _May grabbed a blanket and put it around Skye as best she could as they moved through the house, she raced ahead of them to get the car started so they could immediately go. Coulson went to set Skye down in the backseat, but like a small child she refused to let go of him and so he sat down and held her as May drove to the hospital. After a few minutes she fell unconscious, hair sweaty and sticking to the sides of her head, her face barely scrunched up. Coulson had the image seared into the brain, along with the terror of her not waking up again._

As Coulson kneeled beside his partner and daughter, he felt that fear again, "You'll stay with Skye and Lincoln while the rest of us do the groundwork. They won't take Skye away from us."

May looked at him with a pained gaze, "You know how this works Phil. If they take her-"

"It won't happen," Coulson said, he looked at Hill, "You're going to cooperate with us on this one Maria. Don't try to get in our way."

Maria appeared visibly torn, but she did nod to show she understood. Coulson lifted Skye onto the gurney, she didn't so much as flutter her eyes. The memories of laying her down on a hospital gurney to be rushed into surgery flickered across his mind, he had been stopped at the door and practically screamed at the nurses holding him back to let him go. It had been May to pull him away, to let the doctors do their job.

Coulson was brought back to the present as May placed a hand on his shoulder, she studied him for a moment before turning away and going after Skye.

While May would stay with them and those agents, Coulson would get busy trying to figure out who attacked his daughter and her friend, what did they attack them with and why. A pit formed in Coulson's stomach as he thought of the 'creature' hunting Skye, wondering if it, if he had done this to them.

He faced the agents, "Alright, let's get to work. Ward, Trip, tell us everything that happened. Any and all details might be the tip we need."

* * *

When Skye woke up, panic flared to life in her chest. She tried to sit up, but was strapped to the hospital bed, her stomach twisted and she wanted to scream. Something was on her face, she realized it was an oxygen mask, but the small one that went into her nose and she couldn't care to think of the name of it. She looked to her right to see a glass wall separated her from Lincoln, who was lying still on the same bed as her own, also with the oxygen nose thing on his face. A hiss filled the air, followed by rapid footsteps until Melinda came into view.

"Skye," Melinda said leaning over her, relief on her face.

Tears burned Skye's eyes, she felt them fall as she cried, "Mom."

Melinda bent down and hugged Skye as tightly as she could without hurting her, "It's okay. You're okay. You and Lincoln are going to be just fine. Breathe with me Skye, okay follow my lead."

"What happened to us," Skye choked out, her terror rising, the room started to shake, "What happened to me? What's going on? Where are we? Where's dad-Phil? What, I can't breathe, I-"

Melinda pulled back, she put her hands on Skye's shoulder and held her gaze, "Skye, I need you to calm down. Follow my breaths, breathe with me okay?"

Skye visibly swallowed, but did as Melinda asked. Two minutes of silence passed before Skye's breathing had evened out, thankfully the shaking had ceased. Melinda undid the restraints they placed on Skye and as soon as they were off, Skye practically threw herself at Melinda, crushing her into a terrified hug. Melinda wrapped her arms around Skye again, whispering reassurances into her ear, trying to keep her calm.

There was no easy way to tell Skye what had happened to her and Lincoln, there was no easy way to reveal herself, reveal Coulson, reveal SHIELD to her. Serving Skye's favorite meal, watching her favorite movie and talking with her in their home would have been so much easier than telling the truth in a SHIELD laboratory that she couldn't leave, with her friend unconscious in the next bed separated by a glass wall. Technically May wasn't supposed to be in this unit, but she refused to leave her daughter in here alone.

"Mom," Skye whispered hoarsely, too scared to stop using the title, "There's something very wrong with me."

Melinda rubbed her back, "No, no, there's nothing wrong with you. You're just, you're just different now and there's nothing wrong with that."

Skye took a shaky breath as she pulled back, she wiped her tears furiously, "Do you know what happened? Are Lincoln and I going to be okay?"

Melinda released a heavy sigh, she had no idea where to start and wished Phil was here to help her. Maybe breaking all of the news to Skye now was a bad idea, she didn't want to overwhelm her, but Melinda didn't want to scatter the truths with lies. It would hurt Skye more in the long run that way.

"You and Lincoln are going to be fine," Melinda told her.

And that was true, but there was so much more buried here that May didn't want to unpack, but she knew she had to. Skye deserved the truth, she deserved to know everything that happened. The real problem here was that she had no idea where to start.

"Skye, I'm not good with my emotions and expressing them as you know," Melinda started uneasily, "But I need you to know that Phil and I love you. You are our daughter and tonight we planned to tell you about the adoption papers."

Skye blinked, "What?"

Melinda held her gaze, "We want to adopt you Skye."

Skye pointed at herself in disbelief, "Me? You guys, you guys want to adopt me?"

"We had a much better plan to tell you about it tonight with dinner and movies, to tell you everything. but change of plans. I started with this because I'm going to tell you a story, or a couple of stories and they might change your opinion of us."

Skye frowned at that, "What do you mean?"

"Phil and I haven't been completely honest with you Skye, but you have to know, if nothing else, we love you," Melinda said, her gaze boring to Skye's.

Skye nodded, she believed her, "I know that. Whatever it is, I can handle it."

And so, Melinda May told Skye everything. She started at the beginning of how Skye was an 0-8-4 found by SHIELD, or really given to SHIELD. How the woman had originally been believed to be her mother, but a DNA test proved otherwise. Melinda told her how a manbeast had been hunting her down, attacking anyone in contact with her and those agents who had been killed protecting her. That SHIELD had been watching over ever since she had been placed in the foster system as an infant, it was SHIELD who kept her from staying in places long because it wasn't safe for her or others.

The whole time, Skye was silent with tears falling down her cheeks and sniffling every so often. When the part of the story came to Melinda revealing herself and Phil, she did hesitate, but knew there was no turning back now. Steeling herself, Melinda Mayson was destroyed and Melinda May took her rightful place before Skye. Phillip Mayson was gone as well leaving Phil Coulson in his wake.

Melinda told her how she and Coulson were assigned to protect this 0-8-4, that it may have been a few weeks or months, until the manbeast could be stopped. That it was their job to watch her, to care for her and protect her. Though Skye tensed at that, her expression didn't change from the heartbreaking one she wore. When May got into the incident that happened this morning, it was now the middle of the afternoon, did Skye's expression shift to more intrigued than upset.

And when the story was over, Skye didn't say anything for awhile. However, her expressions did shift and what she did say surprised and relieved May.

"So I guess SHIELD's always been there, even though I couldn't see them, they were always watching out for me," she said softly, she weakly smiled at May, "My story has a pretty rough beginning, but it started with SHIELD and I think that's pretty cool."

May frowned slightly, "You aren't angry with me or Coulson? I thought you'd be."

Skye shrugged slightly, "It's not much different than real foster parents. They get assigned a kid or request one, you guys were assigned to me so I can't say I'm angry about that."

May nodded, she released a breath, "Really?"

"Really," Skye said with a nod of her own, she leaned back against the pillows behind her, "Plus how many foster kids can say their foster parents are badass agents for a secret government organization." Skye paused for a moment, she found May's gaze. "Does this mean you guys can't, can't adopt me anymore? Because I'm proved not to be human."

May replied swiftly, "The only one who can stop this adoption from happening is you. If you don't want us to, then we won't. Anyone else tries to stop this adoption they have to get through me and no one gets through me."

Skye grinned at her crookedly, "You know I can see that… I don't want it stopped. It'd be really cool to have agents as adoptive parents."

"I can't believe you're taking it all so well," May admitted with a worried look, wondering if Skye would blow up once the information settled in.

"Honestly I'm more surprised by the adoption than anything else you've said," Skye remarked dryly.

Yes, she was still reeling at the idea. It was more surprising than learning she was an object of unknown origin and could apparently cause earthquakes. Though she guessed that news just hadn't really settled in yet. Phil and Melinda had been nothing, but great to her. While part of her feared it had all been an act, that they were just agents doing their job the way foster parents just did their job, she didn't believe it.

Adoption was a difficult process, even if they managed to get through all the hoops due to their agent status and the uniqueness of her case, they fact that they had the papers already was enough for Skye. Besides, if there was ever a family she wanted, it would be with them. However she had to ask why and she was terrified of the answer, but she had to know.

May replied simply, "You shouldn't be. Phil and I want you to be ours."

Skye's expression shifted to the most vulnerable May had ever seen it, "I don't think anyone's ever really wanted me, why do you and Phil want me?"

"Because I don't think I ever loved someone as much as I love you," came May's quick reply, she didn't need to think about it, she just knew, "When I was first assigned to this mission, I didn't plan to stay more than two weeks. It wasn't until you first self defense lesson that I knew I couldn't leave. And as each day passed, I, the more I hated the idea of leaving and not having you or Phil around. It was before Halloween that I knew I would adopt you."

Skye blinked, "All the way back then?"

May nodded, "I had plans made for how I would adopt you, whether the manbeast was found or not. And I wouldn't let SHIELD stop me."

"What about Phil," Skye asked quietly.

May's smile grew just a little, "When I first brought it up to him, he had been surprised. He was always so by the book, but even he knew how to go against some rules from time to time. While my plans included leaving SHIELD, his included staying with SHIELD. We'd both adopt you, but he would still work with the organization while I would do something else."

"Woah," Skye said as she processed this information, "But I thought SHIELD was your life."

May shrugged, "It hadn't been for a couple of years now. When you're older I'll tell you why."

Skye made a face, "Did you seriously just pull the 'when you're older' card even though I am literally sitting in a lab because I have some supernatural abilities and have been hunted by some manbeast since I was newborn and am definitely old enough to understand the hard stuff."

"Another time," May told her, her grin almost playful, "How do you feel now?"

Skye thought for a moment, "A bit shaky to be honest. Kind of like moments before you get a sugar rush, a light buzzing everywhere. No pain or anything- wait when is Lincoln going to wake up?"

May looked over at the still sleeping teen, "He woke up before you in a panic, his body burned through the dendrotoxins so they gave him a bit more when he almost fried the equipment."

"Oh," Skye said, "Are they going to lock us? What happens to us now?"

May looked back at Skye, "No. You'll be in here at most another day or two so they can figure out exactly what caused this. We knew that your DNA had some hidden markers, so the idea is that whoever has the same hidden markers can be affected. Not to mention we need to know how safe it would be to bring you around others. We need to figure out what exactly your abilities are."

Skye didn't meet May's gaze, "You said I caused an earthquake before. Did I, did I hurt anyone back there?"

May shook her head, "No, no one was hurt. It's going to be alright Skye, I promise you."

Skye lifted her head, "You sound so sure."

"Because I am, Phil and I both are," May told her with a confident look, "And he'll tell you as much now."

Skye frowned, "Now, what do you-"

Skye stopped when she looked to the side to see Phil Coulson standing in the doorway, his expression content as he watched his partner and foster daughter. He had been able to stop by earlier, but Skye had still been asleep then and May had been a little more than a disaster. If not for the severity of the situation, he would have teased her for being all over the place considering she prided herself on never losing her cool. Skye happened to be the exception, so he couldn't mock her for it. Seeing Skye awake and not as sickly made his heart warm.

"Hey angel eyes," he said as he stepped inside the room.

"Hey," she said back, her smile wide, she looked between the two of them, "So, Agent Coulson, what's the report?"

Coulson glanced down at May who was still sitting on Skye's bed, "You told her? Without me?"

May replied simply, "You were still out there and I didn't know when you'd be back. She needed to know so I told her everything."

Coulson looked to Skye, worry written across his face, "Based on that face, I take it things went well."

"I learned a lot of stuff today," Skye said grinning, "The most surprising being you two trying to adopt me."

Coulson couldn't hold back a laugh, "You learn about a secret government organization, have abilities we can't measure and the most shocking thing out of that is us adopting you? I know nothing fazes you, but that shouldn't be it."

Skye merely shrugged her shoulders, she wore a sweet grin, "What can I say? All the other stuff isn't as crazy as the idea of me actually having a family."

"Well get used to the idea," Coulson said, he bent down hugged the young teen, "Cause you're part of our family, now and forever."

Skye returned the embrace with her right arm, she extended her left one to May who eventually joined the hug when both Skye and Coulson groaned when she dared to refuse. And that was how Agent Hill and Agent Romanoff found them, hugging each other in the quarantine unit.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N:** **I fixed up this chapter a bit and added something new, so kind of a repost/ update. Hope you guys have a great night/day!**

 **Summary: Summary: Agents Melinda May and Phil Coulson are put on a new assignment to look after an object of unknown origin, an 0-8-4. The only catch is this 0-8-4 is a person. A fourteen year old girl who's spent her life in the foster system is now in more danger than ever. A man beast is hunting her and SHIELD has to make sure that it doesn't get close to her. AU**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty**

 **Somewhere in China Mountains**

Jiaying glowered, "What were you thinking?!"

"Something had to be done Jiaying," growled Cal, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

The woman he addressed had her arms crossed over her chest, more anger in expression than she dared to show. As leader of this world, she had to maintain a professional and stoic appearance despite whatever emotions may have raged on inside of her. For years they had been far from reaching their secret goal and now due to his rashness, there was a chance everything they had been working for, everything they had been doing to bring their baby home was going to be nothing.

There was also the threat this posed on her power. Though there was no singular leader of Afterlife, Jiaying was someone who held the most power and authority. It had taken her a very long time to obtain this control and she could not let all of her hard work go to waste because her once lover did not understand how to be subtle.

Her nails dug into her bare arms as she struggled to keep her temper under control. It was only the two of them in this red room and the walls were thick enough that no one would be able to hear unless their ears were pressed up against the door.

Jiaying took a sharp breath, "You have now risked the exposure of Afterlife, Inhumans and have placed our daughter in even more danger than before. Bringing out her powers while she is in their hands was the worst possible thing you could have done!"

Cal's nostrils flared, "NO. No, I have now brought her closer to us."

"How does activating her powers bring her closer to us Cal, please enlighten me how exactly this will bring my daughter back into my arms," Jiaying snapped at him.

The anger left Cal almost instantly, he actually smiled at her. It should have unnerved her, but she had become used to his switching and constantly changing moods. Though sometimes the switches were more jarring than the others.

"Because," Cal said still smiling, "Daisy will see that the world will treat her differently because of her beautiful gift. She will realize on her own that she doesn't belong out there, but here."

"You couldn't just remove her," Jiaying remarked bitterly.

Cal shook his head, "No. When she realizes that she no longer belongs in that world, she will call to us. If simply took her away, her attachments to those people would remain and drive her away from us. Now those attachments will break."

* * *

SHIELD

* * *

Skye thought she and Lincoln would have been allowed to leave already, at least that was the dream Mel-May- Mom had been telling her. Only a few days, but it had been a week since their arrival and still no signs of them leaving. Lincoln was having a much harder time adjusting to his newfound abilities. He could control electricity, Skye would have enjoyed calling him Pikachu if he wasn't so serious and sour the entire time. Though Skye couldn't blame him, the walls in their rooms were starting to close in.

Glass walls maybe, but still they couldn't get out and go anywhere, but this small room. Well the bathroom to, but someone had to go with them to make sure they wouldn't run away and if their powers got out of hand, they would be sedated. Lincoln had short circled the lights in the bathroom, they knocked him out before he could do more damage which sent both fear and anger through Skye.

Luckily Ph- Coul- her dad fought them hard on that. Saying unless their powers were really out of control, the building losing power or an earthquake, then the dendro-whatever could be used. However for minor things, that was excessive. Currently it was night time, Lincoln was knocked out having asked for sleeping pills, but Skye refused and wanted to remain awake for as long as she could. And then, she received a visitor.

"Hey Skyler, what are you doing up," said the familiar red haired agent.

Skye sat up to get better look at her foster sister, "Don't feel much like sleeping. I really miss my bed."

Natasha nodded in understanding, "Believe me I get it. Quarantine is the worst place to be, but I think you're getting discharged tomorrow."

Skye quickly rolled her eyes, "I doubt it. Me-May said that we'd be out of here days ago."

"She's doing everything in her power to get you guys out of here," Natasha told her her, "But the scientists and agents want to make sure it's safe for-"

"For others, I know, we're dangerous," Skye interrupted with a frown.

Natasha gave her a look, "And your safety as well. If someone saw you use your abilities, imagine what they would do to you. They could bring the attention to you and some big bad group could sweep in and take you away. Turn you into a weapon."

Skye's eyes shimmered slightly at that. Though she knew very little about Natasha's real identity hear in SHIELD, she could tell by her tone that the woman was speaking from experience. Curiosity stirred inside of Skye then, she wanted to know exactly how did Natasha become involved with SHIELD, however she was worried that it might be too much to ask.

"Nat," Skye said hesitantly, "Will you, will you tell me one day how you became involved with SHIELD?"

Natasha tilted her head to the side, she looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding, "I would tell you now, but it's late and it might give you nightmares."

Skye's brow quirked at that, she figured that would the response, but still she was slightly surprised. She didn't remember falling asleep. Only that Natasha was talking and sleep took over her. Natasha didn't leave her spot, just watching Skye as she fell into a deep sleep. It was sneaky and maybe underhanded that she had sleeping medicine pumped into the room, but she knew Skye needed to get some rest.

After everything that had happened, the teen had a lot on her plate and sleep was her only true repreive. Natasha wasn't sure how long she had been there, but she knew it had been a couple of hours since two of the overhead lights came on signifying some of the agents would be filing in. Some had come by in the night to check the vitals of Lincoln and Skye, but that was only one or two compared to the dozen that would be working in the background while the teens struggled to keep themselves occupied.

Maria had brought them their school work, much to Skye's irritation, so that was helping to distract them, but it only went so far. Natasha was getting worried and she didn't worry often. The world was filled with all kinds of hidden and mysterious things, people with powers and enhanced abilities. Technically she was one of those people, but not quite the same as this. If anyone dared to come after Skye and her friend, Natasha knew that she would have to add some more blood to her ledger. That was something she could sacrifice for her kid sister.

"She'll be fine," Coulson said beside her, "Skye's strong."

Natasha replied, "I know. I also know if anyone tried to hurt her, they wouldn't get past us."

Coulson nodded, his gaze focused on the sleeping teen, "You aren't wrong there. Unfortunately we still don't have any hits on who did this or why."

Natasha glanced at him, "I thought it was the manbeast."

"Speculation," Coulson remarked dryly, "It very well could be that guy, but anyone who's ever seen the thing is dead and neither Skye nor Lincoln saw who took them."

Natasha frowned, "Didn't one of their friends mention a red symbol?"

"Trip, said that, but couldn't remember exactly what."

"How many red symbols do we know of?"

"Less than a handful, but for all we know it could be one we have never heard of."

"It can't hurt to rule out the ones we do know then."

Coulson turned his gaze to look at Natasha, he studied her for a moment. Her body was more rigid than usual, her jaw clenched. It had been mentioned that the Black Widow program could have been involved, but they were never for the flashy abilities. Their goal was physical and mental enhancement, not so much on this playing field, unless they were changing things up.

If it was the Black Widow program, Natasha should be the most concerned. She may have gotten away from them and be under SHIELD's protection, but that did not mean she was safe from the organization as a whole. Natasha had been their top widow, of course they wouldn't let her go without a fight and even as the years passed, they were still coming for her. However that wasn't something she wanted to think about now. She needed to focus on Skye.

"I highly doubt they're involved in this," Coulson told her, "It's not their speed."

"Then who," Natasha asked more to herself.

Coulson shrugged his shoulders, "That is the question of week."

Natasha shook her head, "And what about the other kid they brought in?"

"She's stable for now," Coulson told her, "We still need a better translator for her though."

"I am fluent in Spanish," Natasha reminded him with a side glance.

Early the previous morning a teenager had been found in a brown husk similar to what Lincoln and Skye were in before. The girl had powers as well, though it was a little hard to discern what her powers were besides her ability to move fast. However no matter how far she moved forward, she would always return back to her previous position which made it hard for her to escape. A young agent who had been working under Mockingbird the past summer called her a yo-yo.

The girl had been traveling with some other people, smuggling was the better term. The exact circumstances surrounding the incident were lost to Natasha as he only knowledge was the fact someone else had been hit. There didn't seem to be a pattern yet considering there were only three teens affected by this. The only difference now was that two were just at the age of fifteen where this new addition was nineteen.

No one could be certain if it only affected teenagers, there wasn't any evidence to suggest it, but the fact that only teenagers had been hit and changed couldn't have been a coincidence. At least Natasha didn't believe it was. She was certain that whoever was doing wanted younger people involved, it was easier to get the youth to follow something than it would be for someone older and set in their ways. If an army of super powered people was being formed, starting with teens could be a way to go.

Coulson replied after a few moments of silence, "We need you out in the field finding the ones responsible for this and stopping them. Clint's here for you now."

Natasha suppressed a sigh, "You got it boss. I would bring the new girl in here with Lincoln and Skye, it might help to calm her down knowing there are others here going through the same thing."

"Already ahead of you there," Coulson told her with a small grin, "She's on her way to being placed in that unit beside Skye."

Natasha thought that was pretty good. The other girl had been so frantic while alone with strangers she didn't know and could barely understand. Though her english wasn't bad, it was a little hard for her to find the right words given the stress of the entire situation and the powers knocking her around so much. The bright side was they had learned her name was Elena.

Thinking back to that situation made Natasha wonder where May was. There had been another incident which meant whoever was doing these attacks was either getting bolder or more reckless. If the attacks continued at this rate, this building would be filled with super powered teenagers by the end of the week.

"Has May gotten back yet," Natasha asked next.

Coulson visibly tensed at that, his gaze shifted from Skye to Natasha as he said with a regretful expression, "She's on her way back with another boy who was affected."

Natasha's brow quirked at this, "Okay, why the tone?"

"It's someone Skye knows," Coulson told Natasha as he looked away from her, "A few weeks ago, I told Maria about getting two boys placed into May and I's care. They're uncle had been taken into custody by our agents almost a year ago, not that the boys knew, but they had been on their own for years and had no contact with him. Seeing that Skye knew them and their connection to SHIELD, I thought it would be fine to take them in."

Natasha nodded a bit absently, "I think I remember hearing about that. Are you saying the boys were attacked?"

"Only one, the oldest," Coulson answered.

"And you're worried about Skye's reaction to it," Natasha said.

Coulson didn't answer her. He hated to think that way, to think of Skye as possibly dangerous. Even when he had first gotten the assignment to look after an 0-8-4 teenage girl, he hadn't wanted to think of Skye as this dangerous weapon. Yet as he saw her powers in action, he knew that if she didn't have control the chance of her destroying this place, hurting others and herself because of her emotions was high.

Neither his daughter nor these other teens should be here now with these abilities that they weren't ready for, that they didn't even ask for. Coulson and Natasha left the room to head downstairs once they got the alert that a new arrival was coming in, May with them. At the loading bay, they saw May walking beside a squirming teenage boy that Coulson recognized as Robbie Reyes. As they came closer, Coulson heard May speaking to him.

"It's going to be okay Robbie, you need to focus on me and nothing else," May told him.

Robbie squirmed more on the bed from the pain and fear, "No, I, I can't. Where's Gabe, I need to get to Gabe."

"Gabe is going to be alright, and I'll bring you to him once you're taken care of," May said, but Coulson heard a twinge in her voice.

May's brown eyes met his blue ones, she was trying to tell him something, but he couldn't figure out what the message was. However as she came past him, his feet moving in step with her, he noticed that her hands were covered in fresh blood. Coulson's eyes widened just barely at the sight of it. Checking over Robbie, he saw there was some blood on him as well, but no injuries on his frame. That meant the blood must have come from Gabe.

May had said something bad happened, but couldn't give any specifics because at the moment Robbie was having a breakdown. Once Robbie was taken care of, they'd have to talk. They rushed him up to the main floor, May and Coulson were still by his side with Natasha trailing behind. At one point they passed the observation room that allowed them a view inside the main room where Skye, Lincoln and the other girl, Elena, were. Coulson glanced up at the window to see Skye was awake along with Lincoln, both looking in their direction with fear and concern.

"She needs to know," Coulson said as they passed the room.

May nodded, though Coulson saw the hesitance, "I know, but we'll handle that later. For now, we need to get Robbie stabilized."


End file.
